


The Swing Of Things

by DaniHapunkt



Series: The Story of Lily [1]
Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991), Disney Duck Universe, DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Action, Angst, Bisexual Character, Blood and Violence, Crime, Domestic Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Explicit Language, Multi, Recreational Drug Use, Sexual Content, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-01-27 00:47:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21383317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniHapunkt/pseuds/DaniHapunkt
Summary: Lily Bellefaire knows her way around the streets of St. Canard, as a drug dealer in the seedy city. After a chance encounter with Negaduck, the most dangerous duck in two universes, she decides to align herself with him.He leads her down a dark path of crime, pleasure and inhumanity, leaving her wondering if she got more than she bargained for, and if she can escape Negaduck’s cunning allure before he goes too far.Edited by AJtheBlueJay
Relationships: Negaduck/OC, oc x canon - Relationship
Series: The Story of Lily [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1690672
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and special thanks to Yin, who made me come out of my shell and talk about the world I created in my head and for editing. And to Fea who loves my OC more than I do sometimes, you two are the best! And thank you AJ for editing for me and being awesome in general!
> 
> I'm not a native English speaker so if there are any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors please let me know - and enjoy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get to know Lily and her social environment and also her way of thinking. She's a drug dealer in a rundown part of St. Canard and tries to expand her clientele by pretending she's a college student. 
> 
> This chapter contains a small section of drugging and rape attempt, it's marked in the text.

The banging on the door grew louder and more desperate. “Lily, open the goddamn door! Come on babe, just let me in!” The voice belonged to a tall and slender young pigeon in formal attire and a rather stylish haircut. “C’mon, give me another chance! Lily please.” He continued to banging but it remained shut. 

After an especially loud kick a voice yelled from the other side “God Laurens, just fuck off! I don’t want you back you stealing piece of shit!” 

Laurens leaned his head against the cold wood. “I have an addiction problem, you know that. But I’m clean now, I swear!”

“Oh of course you are. And you’re only here to get me back, not because I’m selling the stuff you like to sniff up your ugly nostrils! Now get lost before I call the Boss!” With one last kick, Laurens made his way through the dirty hallway of this rundown apartment building, Lily calls home. 

“I could have helped you with that,'' said the tall and muscular dog on the couch when Lily re-entered her living room. 

“Thanks Diego, but I know how to handle boys like him.” she sighed and sank into the old sofa she got second- or probably third or fourth hand when she moved into the apartment. She was a small duck, with long, untamed blond locks and vivid green eyes. Regaining a more composed posture she turned to Diego: “So, where were we? Oh right, my new delivery. You know, I’ve been thinking about spreading my territory- now don’t give me that look, I won’t be messing with the distribution. Did I ever tell you that I really regret not going to college?” 

Diego laughed “No? But I recall you telling me you didn’t even finish highschool and were basically home schooled but in this orphanage.” 

Lily winked at him. “I was, but I don’t look like a poor orphan girl, wait!” She went into her bedroom and after several minutes she changed out of her brown airborne trousers and black top into skinny jeans and a pink sweatshirt. A pair of huge glasses sat on her beak, unable to hide the cocky look in her eyes. 

“Woah, Lil! You look like a completely different person! I didn’t know you wear glasses!” 

Lily laughed “I don’t, that’s the idea,” she was waving a student ID card in front of him, 

“look at me, a decent college student named Vanessa Heathland.” 

He took the card and inspected it thoroughly. “This looks so real! Who made this?”

“Oh, I know a guy. I give him discounts and he gives me, well this stuff.”

“But what if anyone checks on you?” 

Lily laughed as she opened her notebook. “Do you really think, I didn’t plan for this? Look,” she scrolled through the student body website where a Vanessa Heathland was listed, with her biography, majors and everything there is to know; including the fact that she’s allergic to cats and gluten. 

Diego looked at her in awe. “Sis, I knew you were good with computers and hacking and that stuff, but… you didn’t tell me you were THAT good.” 

Lily smirked: “Well, it’s like the Boss always says, your knowledge is your greatest weapon.” 

“I think he meant knowledge about business opportunities and rivals.” 

Lily leaned back into her sofa, “Same difference. Anyhow I’ll tell the Boss tomorrow and ask for permission.” 

Diego almost choked on his drink: “You did all this before asking permission?!” 

Lily shrugged “Oh I’m pretty sure he won’t say no anyway so I went on with it first.” 

The big dog shook his head, “You really are something, you know that? Well, the Boss won’t say no to you. Sometimes I wonder if he wishes you were his sibling and not me. Anyway, I see you tomorrow over at our place. Oh and if that idiot Laurens comes back, cut his balls off.” 

Lily laughed. “Oh I will, and I’ll bring them to you as a gift. Now off you go and greet Marie and little Susan from me.” With a kiss on her forehead Diego said goodbye and closed the front door behind him. 

“Impressive,” said the Boss as he browsed through the photos and documents on Lily’s phone, “really impressive, I give you that.” His long fingers elegantly held the device in one hand as the other one scratched the stubbles on his chin. The Boss was not built like his younger brother and he was not as tall, but there was a reason, he was now head of the family whereas Diego was happy with being the muscles. “Lily, you know I really like you, you’re like family to me,” handing over the phone, he gave her a very concerned look, “but you’re a junkie yourself, you know that? Not for this shit, oh no sis, you like adventure, adrenaline and most of all: money. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, unless it could affect my business. And this could. But I trust you, I really do. You’re smarter than most people I know, hell even including myself. You can try this, but if you’re caught or if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own, okay?” 

Lily nodded and the pressure building up during his long speech released itself in an inaudible sigh. “Thank you so much Boss, you won’t regret this, I promise! And hey, who knows, maybe I’ll learn a thing or two in college. Without paying a cent for tuition, that’s a steal!” 

The Boss got up and laughed. “You’re a sweet little duckling, you know that? Oh, of course you do, and you know exactly how to work me to get your will. Let your big brother give you a present for your first day of college.” He got up and went to the closet behind him. After some searching he pulled out a dark greenish-brown leather jacket. “There, my ex left it here and I’m pretty sure he won’t be searching for it. It’s some italian leather or something, would be a waste to feed it to the moths and you have about his body shape, well… more or less.” 

Lily slipped into the smooth leather and it felt like it was made for her. She gave the Boss a quick hug and said, “Oh, it’s perfect! Thank you so much! Who knew you’d fancy guys with such a dainty physique.” 

Before he could answer, Diego entered the door without knocking, much to his brother’s irritation, and waved his phone in his hands, “Guys, did you hear? They found a body in the wrecks of St. Canard tower! And it’s Taurus Bulba!” 

“What?!”, the Boss yelled and grabbed the phone out of his Diego’s chunky hands. He quickly read the article. “Darkwing Duck?! Who is that? They say he’s a masked vigilante?” 

Diego rubbed his forehead, “wait a minute, that name rings a bell. Oh right! That’s that tiny guy who snatched up Bill the other day! The police couldn’t prove anything so they had to let him go. Bill said he’s a short, loudmouthed idiot, but foolishly strong.” 

Lily laughed “Well, Bill is a loudmouthed idiot so who knows if it’s true. Still, I’m gonna see what I can find about this masked hero.” She laughed out loud, “This rotten town now has an idiot in a cape beating up criminals? Just when you think you’ve seen everything…” 

Tucked into her new jacket, Lily stepped outside the front door and lit a cigarette on her way down the stairs. A ray of sunlight hit the old house and every crack, every missing tile and all the dirty windows became so much more visible. Still, Lily liked the house. Diego and the Boss gave her a home and a job after she got kicked out of the orphanage when she reached her 18th birthday. She roamed the streets for weeks, she barely survived by begging for food and pickpocketing until she tried stealing the Boss’ wallet. It’s a miracle he didn’t kill her on the spot and an even bigger one that she convinced him to give her a chance to prove herself. Even the most respectable cities must have districts like this, a rundown part of town where law enforcement wouldn’t even dare to look in the general direction and people mostly come for two things; drugs and prostitutes. Normally a tiny woman like Lily doesn’t walk the streets alone but no one would even dare to touch her. In the past years she had made herself part of the Boss’ family, and only people searching for a slow and painful death would mess with his little sister. 

“Well, look at that, little Mrs. Bellefaire!”, Lily heard a voice behind her. 

“Fuck off Bill,” she replied without looking. He caught up with her in a few swift steps. 

“Still selling crap for the Boss, eh? You know, a girl pretty as you could make so much more money if she’d work for me.” 

Lily immediately stopped pulled the rat down by his whiskers, “Listen shithead, if you say that again I’ll kick you so hard in the groins that even your ancestors feel it, understood?” 

Bill laughed after he freed himself from her grip, “I’d get you paid for that too, you know?” She pushed him aside and held her middle finger in his face when she walked past him. 

“Aren’t you as excited as I am for college?!”, the chubby mouse next to her squeaked, “this will be the time of our life! By the way, I’m Vivian, but everyone calls me Viv. What’s your name?” 

Lily tried her best to smile and look timid, “Vanessa.” Please go away, you don’t need a pick-me-up, she thought but Viv apparently decided to make the shy blonde duckling her new best friend. 

“Vanessa! Both our names start with a V! This is so cool! Let’s walk around the campus, where’s your dorm? Uhh maybe we can switch with our current roommates and live together, that would be awesome, wouldn’t it? Anyway, where are you from? I’m a bit of a country girl, but not like you think, I’m very open minded, one of my friends is gay! I mean, I don’t support it but I’m not telling them they will burn in hell or anything so… anyway, where were you from again?” 

Lily sighed and weighed the options of keeping her facade or killing this blabbermouth. “Uh… Duckburg,” she answered. 

“Oh Duckburg! Then your parents must be rich! Are you from some wealthy family? I bet you are! I can tell by your demeanor. And you moved to St. Canard on your own? Oh, you’re adventurous and a rebel, right?” 

The smile on Lily’s face was as fake as her glasses. I know this girl for five minutes and she’s already writing fanfiction about me. Well, this way I don’t even have to come up with a background story, she does the work for me, Lily chuckled to herself as she listened to the girl talking about tractors and corn. 

Getting rid of Vivian proved to be harder than Lily thought. The girl followed her around everywhere, demanding her attention and even going so far as to be jealous whenever dear Vanessa spent time with anyone else, especially men. This amused Lily to no end after the talk of gay people burning in hell and so she decided to stick with her new best friend a little while longer. After all it’s less conspicuous when you’re walking around campus in pairs, especially when you’re as close as they seemed to be. 

“All I’m saying is, this Jaiden is just some no good jock who’s going to use you and then drop you once he’s got what he wanted,” Vivian exclaimed during lunch, “He’s bad news, I’m telling you! Stay away from him.” 

Of course her well-behaved friend Vanessa would never get involved with some rich kid who’s only hobbies are baseball and, well drugs. But Lily didn’t mind spending some time with him in a bathroom stall before selling him a huge stack of pills that promised to give him the time of his life. That might have been false advertising but so was bragging of his performance, it was only fair. Selling to college kids seemed ridiculously easy when you told them that the tiny little candies help you stay awake and focused. During exam season Lily even found herself running low on supplies, so toying with Vivian was really more of a side project for her. 

“I know Vivian, don’t worry,” Lily answered with a shy expression she could muster, “I would never do such a thing, I promise!” 

Vivian sighed and put a hand on her friend’s arm “I know, I know. Sorry for overreacting. I just don’t like guys like him!” 

Or guys at all probably, Lily thought but smiled at the mouse lovingly, “you’re such a good friend, you know that, Viv? What would I ever do without you!” 

“Aw, I know right?”, she gave the duck’s arm another gentle stroke before continuing to poke the stew that was served in the cafeteria today. “You know, I wonder if bad food is part of the college experience or if people just tell you that so they can save money.” 

Lily shrugged and continued eating, after 18 years of indistinguishable mush for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, Lily learned that you can eat anything if you’re just hungry enough. 

While they were talking, someone plastered the walls with flyers of a big Halloween party, as the girls brought the tablets back to the wagon, Vivan noticed them and exclaimed: “Oh Vany, we HAVE TO go there! Oh how about matching costumes? I go as a witch and you, as a cat maybe?” 

Lily laughed, “A cat? I heard these are super offensive and objectifying for actual cats.” 

The tiny mouse rolled her eyes, “Are they now? Wow everything is offensive these days. Okay how about… another witch? You know, like partners? Uh, let’s go shopping for them together!” 

“Alright alright,” the blonde duck laughed while thinking to herself that she needs to stack up on her pills, this party will be the perfect business opportunity. 

After another class where Lily understood next to nothing, the two of them headed into the city to search for the nearest costume shop. Vivian seemed to be very keen on the idea of matching witch outfits, proclaiming that college is the time of their life and they have to be crazy and wild. 

“Since I basically forced you into this, let me treat you to some real food,” Vivian said after leaving the shop, “I hope the costume doesn’t make you uncomfortable. But it’s also good practice, you know? To come out of your shell a bit more. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you at the party and if any guy hits on you, I’ll hit him!”, she raised her fists and hit the air in front of her, almost knocking over the table. 

Lily caught the plate with her cake on it last minute and laughed. “Oh Viv, what would I do without you?” 

“Well, your college life would be much less fun and exciting probably.” 

As the weeks went by, Vivian’s excitement for the Halloween party grew until it was the only topic she was talking about. When the day finally arrived, she insisted that they’d get ready together in her dorm room, while her roommate is out with her study group. 

“She’s just no fun!”, Vivian expressed, “Oh I wish you’d be my roommate, but oh well, it’s better this way, so you can catch a break from me blathering all day long. Yea, I know I can be obnoxious but you’re such a good friend, we complement each other.” After she was done with tweaking Lily’s long blonde hair, she looked at it proudly. “You already have these untameable locks but now you look like a proper witch! With spiders and everything, how do you like it?” 

“Oh it’s so cool, thanks Viv! You’re the best! Now sit down, it’s your turn.” Lily had more fun than she thought she would. Maybe it was due to the fact that Vivian basically forced herself into this friendship but she started to enjoy her company. Lily even thought about hitting on her, to see her reaction but also because she wouldn’t mind getting to know her new best friend even better. But this would only complicate things unnecessarily. 

They drove to the party in Vivian’s car and the mouse handed over the keys. “So if you don’t drink, you’ll drive us back? That’s so cool of you!” 

Lily put the keys into her purse where lots of tiny sample packages were secretly hidden in a small black bag and just waited to be handed out to potential customers. So this is a college party, eh? It’s just like in the movies, she thought to herself, as she mingled through the crowd and whenever she was able to lose Vivian for a minute or two she was able to deal out some of her pills. This evening was not meant to make her rich but it was a good opportunity to acquire new customers. You had to think about the long game, not just the quick cash, she reminded herself, that was the key to success. 

Everything was going well until she saw Vivian with Jaiden, the guy she seemed to hate. Maybe I got it wrong and she was jealous because she liked him, she thought as she saw a tiny pill disappearing into Vivian’s smiling mouth. “Oh shit,'' she mumbled to herself as she fought her way over them through the crowd. 

“Hey Vanessa,” a voice called from behind her. She wanted to ignore it but was quickly turned around by the shoulder. One of Jaiden’s friends towered over her, “you don’t happen to have some of that stuff with you? I need like… a lot.” 

She weighed her options. “Not now Brad, let me just quickly check on Viv and then I’ll come back to you.” She turned around and saw Jaiden leading Vivian upstairs. 

“Oh, they are fine, I bet they are just having a bit of fun, so how about it?” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders but she managed to slide under it and make her way to the stairs. He looked at her perplexed. 

“I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” she exclaimed while making her way up. 

“Did you guys see Vivian?”, she asked two girls with slight panic in her voice. 

*********** This next part contains themes of drugging and rape attempt, scroll to the end of the section marked with the stars ***********

“Oh yea, she’s with Jaiden in the master bedroom. Never thought she’d have it in her but-” Lily didn’t wait to hear what the girl had to say and ran across the hallway. She opened the door and there was Vivian barely conscious on the bed, her dress pulled up and Jaiden was about to pull down her bra. 

“Hey, back off you creep!”, Lily cried out as she jumped on him to pull him away from her friend. 

**********************************

“Woah”, he screamed after a hard landing on his butt. “What are you doing here? I thought you were with Brad?” 

“With Brad? What are you talk-... hey wait a minute! How do you know that Brad was talking to me?” Her hand slid into her purse and quickly found her butterfly knife as the door sprang open 

“Sorry Jaiden, she just ran after you, I couldn’t catch her.” 

“Can’t you even handle one little bitch, you idiot?” 

That was the signal she was waiting for. “Oh you college boys think you can mess with me?!”, she pulled out the knife and made an attack for Jaiden. He saw her coming and easily caught her right arm midair, pressing so hard, the knife fell to the ground. 

“And you think, you can outmatch two of the best baseball players on campus? Do you take your own stuff, Vanessa? Or is that even your name?” For an answer, she kicked him in so hard in the snout, he started bleeding and released her from his grip. 

“Fuck! You dirty bitch, you’ll pay for that!” She tried to get the knife but Brad grabbed it and just stood there grinning while Jaiden pulled Lily back on her hair. After one punch in the stomach and one in the face, Lily realised that she made a big mistake. As she went down and almost fainted, she saw the two dogs emptying her purse and taking all her merchandise. 

“Thanks for the generosity!” Jaiden exclaimed and kicked her in the stomach one last time. The boys left the room and after several minutes of panting, she finally got up and checked on Vivian. 

The tiny mouse was slowly regaining conscious and muttered “Van… where are we?” 

“Doesn’t matter, Viv, can you stand? I’m gonna take you home.” She recollected the items from her purse, then put Vivian’s dress back on and shouldered her. Lily thought that her bloody face and wasted friend would make a scene at the party but no one looked at them twice. Note to self, if you ever want to pick a fight again, think about your chances of winning first!, she scolded herself as they finally made it out of the house and into the car. 

Once they reached the dorm, she tucked Vivian in and placed a glass of water and some painkillers on the nightstand. On a post-it, she wrote “For the headache, I’m sorry - V.” and left. I’m gonna miss that sweet mouse, she sighed as she walked from the dorm. With one last look over the campus site, she made her way to the nearest subway station. 

Her face looked better than she thought, even in the yellowed mirror in the dirty subway toilet. Just a slight bruise and as she checked her rib cage, she didn’t notice any broken bones so far. Maybe that fuckhead did hold back after all, such chivalry, Lily scoffed as she gently dabbed the dampened paper towel on her beak. 

“Got a rough beating huh?” she didn’t hear her come in but there was a tall, well dressed stork woman standing in the door. 

“Yeah, well you know. Some guys just don’t take no for an answer,” 

The woman gave her a sassy smile. “Oh is that what happened Mrs. Bellefaire? Or did a deal go wrong?” 

Lily jumped and wanted to grab her knife, realizing Brad took it with him. “What? Who are you? How do you know my name?!” 

The woman chuckled, “My organization is always on the hunt for new recruits and I’ve had my eye on you for quite some time. You show great potential. Maybe not with hand to hand combat, but we can improve on that.” 

Lily was irritated “Your organization? What are you talking about missy?” As the other woman approached her, she raised her fists, knowing well that this could result in the second beating she will receive this night. 

“Relax, Mrs. Bellefaire. Let me give you my card and once you’re ready to make more of your life than selling drugs to kids, contact me.” 

Lily took the card without breaking eye contact with the tall stork. She watched her slowly and quietly leaving the bathroom and once she heard the door closing, she looked at the card. Four capital letters were impregnated into it: F.O.W.L.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily meets up with the mysterious woman and agrees to goes with her.

“F.O.W.L. wants to recruit you? I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s awesome but, those are real criminals…” Diego held the card against the ceiling light to check it.

“Oh and what are we? Some pathfinder kids selling cookies?”, the Boss asked him irritated as he sorted multi colored pills into their individual colors.

Lily sat in their dimly lit living room and held an ice pack to her face. “Well, if it’s not fake…” The Boss eyes her. 

“Why would it? Who’d go around giving out these cards as a fake?” Diego sat up straight and faced his brother: “What is wrong with you? Why are you so angry?” 

The Boss stood up “Well did you see her face? Some jock beats up our sister, of course I’m mad!”

“Relax,” Lily sighed, “it was kinda my fault. I mean, I attacked them with a knife.” 

He started pacing around the room, “Still, you look like shit, who hits a tiny woman like that? Are you sure you don’t want to give me his name?” 

“No Boss, I just want to forget about this stupid college stuff”, she answered and threw the warmed up ice pack on the table, “So should I call her?” 

Diego sighed “I’d give anything to make a bit more cash to get Marie and Susan out of this shithole.” 

The Boss gave him another look but sat down quietly. They sat in silence for a few minutes when a five year old dog girl stuck her head into the door: “Daaaad, mom says you have to come upstairs now. It’s your turn to tell me a nighttime story!” 

“Don’t come here Susie, your uncle is working,'' the Boss smiled at her while Diego got up and picked his daughter up. 

“Okay, night uncle Ro, night aunty Lily”. They wished her a good night and returned to silence after the door closed. After several minutes of sorting, the Boss spoke up: “He’s starting to take this stuff, you know.” 

Lily looked at him concerned. “Who does? Diego? No!” 

He nodded “I heard them arguing, the other night. Marie wants to leave but it’s not easy. He’s not good at making money when he’s taking his own products. And Marie… well we got her off the streets and I don’t want to see her there again.” 

Lily sighed deeply and looked at the door “Did you talk to him?” 

“No, you know how he can be, proud and stubborn. Just like our dad. You really should get out of here while you still can, Lily. This city, and especially this district, they make you sick. Call this woman. If she turns out to be trouble, we deal with it.” 

“Mrs. Bellefaire, I’m so glad you called. How are the bruises?”, the voice for the stork woman asked with an audible smile. 

“Oh you know, still hurts. So how does this work? Is there an official application for a training program to become some sort of super villain James Bond?” 

The woman laughed. “Why don’t we have coffee tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the St. Canard mall? The new café upstairs left to the food court?”

Lily knew this was not really up for debate but she didn’t want to go out of the conversation without a fight: “Well, how could I ever let down such a specific invitation.” 

The woman chuckled. “See you tomorrow then Mrs. Bellefaire. Don’t be late.” 

“Bye”, Lily said and hung up the call. 

Lily entered the mall early to check the premise and to see if maybe she’s been set up into a trap. But as she took the escalator to the upper floor, she saw the F.O.W.L. agent sitting in on a corner table supposedly absorbed in a book. The stork wore a classy suit that perfectly underlined her tall and slender physique. 

As Lily approached her, she had a smile on her face again “Mrs. Bellefaire, you’re more than thirty minutes early. I did not expect that.”

Lily was caught off guard by this. “Why is that?” 

The woman across the table chuckled, “Oh you, I might be a little bit prejudiced going into that. No matter, please sit down, Mrs. Bellefaire.” 

Oh she probably thinks that a dirty street rat and drug dealer wouldn’t have the decency to make it to an appointment on time. As Lily threw her bag on the bank, she said “Please, just call me Lily. I get shivers every time you say my name. And you say it a lot for some reason.” 

“Oh is that the reason or is it because it’s just the name of the St. Canard orphanage you were raised in?” 

Lily frowned, “So you did your homework? Wouldn’t expect less, did you by any chance dig deeper than I ever could and find out who my parents are? Or is that even out of your reach?” 

“Ah,'' the woman exclaimed, “of course a woman as competent as you are behind a computer screen tried everything she could to find out who her parents are. Sadly I don’t know more than you. A mysterious woman gave the egg into the orphanage and asked them to name you Lily, apparently after a rare breed of flowers with the same name. What sweet sentiment, don’t you think?” 

Sure, rub it in, Lily rolled her eyes, “a simple ‘no’ would have been sufficient, thank you. Well, why am I here?” 

The woman leaned in, “So you’re not going to ask for my name? Smart girl. I assume once I give it to you, you will dig out every piece of dirt from my past - and there is a lot. Where do I start? I work for F.O.W.L. as you know by now and I’m sort of a headhunter. We’re always searching for new members, especially those with skills as promising as yours. In this digital age we need people who know how to navigate it. The world is not what she once was and many of our older members seem, well overwhelmed.” 

Lily laughed, “So you want me to give them a beginners lesson on how to use the internet?” 

The woman smiled but did not answer, she pulled her Waddle tablet out of her purse and clicked on it for several seconds. 

“Did you see that, Lily?” The way she said her first name, made her jump. On the tablet a news article was displayed about the self proclaimed hero Darkwing Duck. 

“Oh I know this guy, I’ve tried to look into him, but there was nothing. The first news article I could find was him robbing a train and later killing Taurus Bulba. Before that; nothing. Not a single line anywhere.” 

Her answer was met with nodding, “That’s all I have too, but now look at this.” Another article was displayed about a group of criminals called the Fearsome Five. 

“Oh, those are new. Wait, is that man in the front this Darkwing guy?” 

“No, that is Negaduck. I don’t know why but the two mallards look extremely similar. Did you not hear about the fight between Darkwing and Negaduck that destroyed half the bank district?” 

Lily rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t care less. It’s literally the other side of town and as long as they leave me and my people alone, let two men with bloated egos kill each other and blow up a few banks.” 

The stork chuckled. “Men with bloated egos, well said. We have many of those in our organisation too. And I want you to help me find out who those people are, so we…” 

“Why not work with these Fearsome Five? I mean, if they are looting and raiding the city and your organisation is, you know, also in the business, why not team up against one tiny guy in a mask?” 

“Oh, we tried that. We sent someone in a similar position like mine to negotiate with Negaduck, their leader. It took us weeks to find his hideout and when we saw our man again - after days - he had met a fate worse than death. From this we assume his answer is no. So we tried looking into him and his gang, but we could not find anything useful. This is where I stumbled upon your very tiny digital footnote. You’re very good. And I can offer you something, you might want.” 

Lily raised her eyebrows, “financial stability?” 

The woman laughed, “the possibility to make that for yourself. You help us here and in return we’ll teach you the skills to get by. And who knows what will happen once you climb the ladder in our organisation, what do you say?” 

She held out a hand and Lily went silent for a long while. “Oh, so you’re gonna send me to evil spy bootcamp now? Well, how could I say no to that?”, she answered and shook the hand firmly. 

Her initial mockery about a spy bootcamp proved to be quite close to the truth. She was lead into a bunker just outside of St. Canard where she met the so called Eggmen, a sort of foot soldiers for F.O.W.L. “They will one day be at your disposal,” the stork woman, who on the drive there finally revealed that her name is Agent Acana, explained. 

The blond duck was shown a shooting range the size of a tennis field and several rooms dedicated to various martial arts. She chuckled to herself. 

“What’s so funny, Lily?” Acana asked sternly. “Oh, this place is just like Hogwarts for James Bond villains, that’s all.” 

The smile on Acana’s face was cold. “Well, not quite. You’re going to undergo a very rigorous training in the twelve weeks you’ll spend here. After that we let you near our computers to find out everything you can about these motley ‘super villains’ and how we can either pressure them into working for us or silence them for good. You’ll get a bed and three meals a day. You won’t leave this bunker throughout your training and any contact with the outside world is forbidden. If you try to escape, we kill you. If you try to smuggle anything out of here once you’re allowed to leave, we kill you. If you-” 

“Geez Lady, I get it. This feels like I’ve signed up for a stay in a jail and not some, whatever this is.” This might not have been a good idea, Lily thought to herself as Acana glared at her. 

“Well, here we are,'' Agent Acana showed her into a small room not unlike a prison cell, “I’ll personally instruct you on shooting and hand to hand combat, familiarize yourself with the room and get dressed, your new clothes are in the closet to your left.” 

Lily looked into the room and turned around as the stork was about to leave “Oh when do I meet the other students and get my social agenda?” 

This comment was once again met with a stern look, “I like you, Mrs. Bellefaire but you should learn to know when it’s better to keep quiet.” 

The closet, which was more the size of a cabinet contained a set of track suit in pure white, a matching sports bra and leggings. There was also a black leather vest matching black leather trousers. This was clearly designed by a man, she thought and changed into the track suit. Next to the closet was the door to the bathroom. A tiny toilet with a showerhead on top of it and a sink so small, not even both her hands would fit in there. On the wall was a dispenser for soap and another one for toothpaste. A foldable toothbrush was placed in the sink and after a little search she found the toilet paper next to the small metal bowl behind acrylic glass. It’s almost as bad as the orphanage, she thought as she closed the bathroom door, well but at least it’s my own. 

Her twelve weeks of training were hard but manageable, she learned a lot about various types of weapons and how to use them, and she really started to enjoy the martial arts. Acana was so much taller than her but she used it to her advantage and soon managed to land a hit or two on her instructor which earned her a genuine smile. After a while underground Lily completely lost any sense of time. All she did all day was practicing her aim, workouts and sparring and - to her big surprise - private lessons on various spy techniques and how to handle difficult situations provided by Acana too.

One day during a sparse meal which might have been lunch, Acana said that one of the top agents will be visiting today. “Steelbeak is briefed on your situation and he’ll take a closer look on you. After that you will either finally get to do what I recruited you for, or…” 

Lily raised a brow, “Or what? You guys gonna kill me?” 

“Oh that won’t happen. It’s just, you know. A formality. Anyway Steelbeak is a bit... old-fashioned in some ways. The benefits of modern technology have not quite convinced him yet and he sometimes… well. He’s very full of himself to be blunt. But don’t lose your temper. He won’t forgive you as easily as I do.” 

She didn’t like this at all. Acana told her many times to control her temper and it always had the opposite effect. After lunch she was told to go to her room, take a shower and wear, as Acana called it the agent suit. She waited for one of the Eggmen to pick her up. 

“Well well well, if it isn’t the little street rat”, Steelbeak said and gave out an obnoxious laughter that already had Lily’s blood boiling, “Look at you all dressed up! This must be so much better than walking the streets at night, right?” 

She tried to stay calm, “I don’t do that, sir.” 

“You don’t? Oh I must be misinformed then, my bad. So what is it you do? Typing stuff on a computer Agent Acana told me? Wouldn’t you be better off as a secretary then?” The laughter filled the room again. 

Lily gave him a sharp look and he laid his arm around her shoulders. “I’m just messing with you, missy. So, tell me then. Why do you want to work for F.O.W.L.?” 

She slid out of the unwanted contact before she answered, “Well, I wanted a new job and was offered one, really nothing more to say.” 

“Ah but this is more than just a job, this will become your life, young lady. And believe me it will be much more interesting than selling drugs on street corners.” 

So he knows what I’m doing!, Lily thought to herself, his comment from earlier was just to tease or test me then. “Oh I sincerely hope so,” she answered with a smile so fake, it would make Acana proud, “and I can’t wait to show you my skill set in action when I gather intel about your well… our rivals.”

His eyes widened at the last comment. “And we’re happy to give you a chance missy, don’t disappoint us. Well, I’m off, there a politicians to bribe. You have access to our computer stuff now, have fun.” 

And with one last smile, he left the room and Lily started shaking. The big rooster was more intimidating than she thought and the way he talked to her was more impactful than she would admit. 

After her brief meeting with Steelbeak her training phase was officially over and even though she still questioned the meaning of this encounter she fully enjoyed being behind a monitor again and doing what she was best at. Soon after she was giving Acana supposedly everything she had found on the Fearsome Five. Some crucial information she kept to herself - for now. 

“Is that everything?”, Acana asked as she scrolled through the data. Lily nodded.

“And what about their leader? What about Negaduck? You couldn’t find anything on him?” 

“Not a single line. Except for what’s written in the newspaper. He’s like a ghost. He covered his tracks so successfully it’s like he didn’t exist past the first reported crime.” 

Acana turned off her tablet, “Do I hear a sense of admiration, Mrs. Bellefaire?” 

Lily rapidly shook her head “What? Don’t be ridiculous, I don’t really care for some crime boss with an ego bigger than this city.”

The stork next to her raised a brow, “If you say so. Anyway, you did a good job and passed! And as a sign of our trust I’m happy to announce your first job as an aspiring agent! I already emailed you the details but it’s basically this: You might have heard of Mr. Hoggert? The big business guy who owns half the city? Well we can’t allow that kind of monopoly in our town. He made some very shady contracts with very disloyal politicians and they basically let him do whatever he wants. We want these contracts. Now in this day and age you would think, there’s a digital copy but no, there’s not. He does have them only on paper in his office. Your job is to find out the combination for the safe, get in there and steal them for us. How you do that is up to you, I’m not giving you a helping hand. See it as your final test. Good luck, Lily”, Acana said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily is finally out of her training with F.O.W.L. and catches up with her family while preparing for her first job.

Stepping out of the bunker after three months of training, Lily was blinded even by the greyish light of an overcast day. A driver picked her up and brought her to her apartment. There she took a long bath and slept for a few hours before she messaged the Boss and Diego. The past months felt like a dream to her. She was adventurous, sure, but this was more than what she’d expected. After enduring a bombardment of questions and accusations from her brothers, she decided it’s time to do some research on Hoggert. 

A few hours later, Lily sat curdled up in her blanket with Chinese takeout boxes all over the bed and sighed deeply - this was scary. His security measurements were tough and three months of physical training didn’t exactly turn her into a ninja, not when twenty years of regularly smoking had taken its toll on the lungs. I’d best disguise myself as some sort of housekeeper, she thought as she scratched her beak, and I’ll need a fake ID, but that should be easy enough. She texted her contact all the information she would need for the counterfeit and after a few minutes, he just replied with a thumbs up emoji. This was his signal that there was no further data needed and the card would be ready in a few days. She stretched her sore muscles, looked around the bedroom and without even bothering to clean up, she kicked the trash off her bed, placed the notebook next to her and fell asleep to DuckTube videos. 

The next day, she made her way to Hoggert Tower in the middle of the city. It was as she thought, very well guarded but she was able to catch a glimpse of the uniform the staff was wearing. She took several photos and then went to the next store that sold work uniforms. After she acquired the outfit, Lily decided it was time to treat herself to the greasiest, most disgusting, yet delicious burger this town had to offer. After all, she almost never visited this part of the town and it was a special occasion, so she turned her bike around and drove to the Hamburger Hippo. 

As she arrived, a tall and handsome duck stood at the counter, apparently waiting for the owner and cook to come out of the kitchen. His red hair was half hidden under a baseball cap but not even the big jacket could hide his muscular body. 

He smiled at her and pointed to the door. “He doesn’t expect customers this time of the day, I guess.” 

Lily couldn’t help but return the smile, “Well, now he gets two! What a glorious day for this… whatever this is.” She pointed at the building formed like a hippo with its open mouth as the kitchen and counter. 

They both laughed as she continued, “This is not a greasy burger place, this is a national landmark.” 

And with that the always grumpy and unpleasant cook came out of the backdoor bellowing, “So what do you guys want? Could have said something instead of standing here like a bunch of idiots!” 

She looked at the tall duck but he just shook his head. “Oh no please, you order first.” 

“Oh, okay, thanks! Alright, I’m gonna take the house burger special with chili cheese fries. And make them extra spicy.” As she heard the mallard’s orders which was enough for at least three people, she decided not to ask for his number - or to come home with her. After a bit more small talk, she received her order in an already oily paper bag and drove home. 

Lily was pacing her tiny living room, the box of fries in her hand as she devoured them like a lioness. Cheese sauce was smeared all over her hands and beak after she picked the last bits of chili out of the container. She threw it into the empty burger box and washed herself. A sound from her phone cut through the silence and she went to check it. Another thumbs up emoji. He was faster than usual. She didn’t even acquire anything to pay him with yet. Time to visit the family then, she thought while putting her leather jacket back on.

The boss wasn’t home, which was good since he was still mad at her for disappearing for months, but what worried her was that little Susan answered the door. 

“Aunty Lily!”, she squeaked as she fell into her arms. 

“Hey sweetie, what are you doing downstairs? Where are your parents?” 

The smile on the tiny dogs face disappeared. “Dad is... sick. He fell asleep about an hour ago and then mom left the house. She should be back in a little while.” 

Lily stared at her in disbelief as they walked up the stairs. “She left you all alone while your father is asle-” she broke off as she entered the living room. Diego wasn’t just asleep, he was almost comatose. All around his snout was white powder, even more on the floor and coffee table. Furniture was toppled down and the glass front of the cabinet was broken. “What the-... what happened here, Susie?” 

The kid shrugged “They had a fight. Dad takes a lot of medicine and then they fight.” Her voice had the sound of a kid that’s not shocked by that anymore. 

Lily got on her knees to be on eyelevel with the girl. “Alright Susiebunny, how about this, you go to your room and play with Sir Ocelot a bit? I’ll just clean up some stuff here and then we can take him on an adventure like last time! Or even better! Maybe this time he’ll fight two dragons!” 

Susie giggled. “Two dragons! You’re crazy, aunty Lily! They’ll bite his head off! This will be so much fun!” 

Lily sighed deeply as the girl ran into her room. She looked around, unsure where to start. After a moment she grabbed all the pills and powder she could find and stuffed it into her backpack. She thought about tidying up a bit more but wasn’t really in the mood, so she went to Susan instead. 

After about 40 minutes of epic adventuring for the fearless Sir Ocelot, they heard the front door opening. “Susiebean?” Marie asked with a worried undertone. 

“We’re here!”, Lily answered from the child’s room. When Marie entered, Lily almost gave out a loud gasp. She looked really bad. Her light brown fur was unable to hide the swollen patches on her face and arms. She looked tired and desperate. 

“Lily, it’s been so long! I’m glad you’re back. How about some tea?” 

“No!”, Susan exclaimed, “We’re in the middle of an adventure here, mom! We have to fight the two headed dragon!” 

Lily placed her hands on Susan’s shoulders. “How about we fight the dragon next time, sweetie? Let’s give our brave knight some rest. And a good cup of tea.” 

“Alright, but only if you promise.” 

“I promise”, Lily whispered as she gave the girl a kiss on the forehead. 

Lily sat in the tiny kitchen, her hands clenched on the hot teacup as Marie told her what had been going on the past few weeks. “... and then he started taking this shit. ‘Just a bit,’ he said. Testing the merchandise. He said I should try it too, but I told him, ‘I’m clean, you idiot!’ and he laughed. When he’s on this shit, he’s so violent and vicious. He said I’m a dirty whore - which to be fair, I am.” 

Lily shook her head and took the dog’s arm. “No Marie, this is behind you. You’re not. You’re an awesome mom and a fighter!” 

The other woman sobbed, “Thank you Lily… at first I thought he’d stop sooner or later but it got worse. And then last night, I figured if I just hide this stuff… well, you saw what he did in the living room. And Roland - eh… I mean the Boss - he always said that he’s gonna take care of it, but I didn’t want to, I didn’t want his help. He’s his brother! But after this all this mess… it’s no longer safe for my girl here. I’m a bad mom for not taking her immediately when he started. 

“When he passed out this morning, I went down to the Boss and asked him for help. He’s found a new place for me and my girl. And he’s paying for everything. I can move there in two days.” 

She started crying again and Lily got up to hug her. “You’re doing the right thing, Marie. It’s okay,” she said as she pulled her in, “I’ve already packed up his shit and I’m taking it with me. If you need anything, let me know, I’ll always be there for you two.” 

On her way down the stairs, she heard the Boss yelling at someone on the phone and decided that it wasn’t a good idea to pay him a visit when he was in that mood. Especially not when he was still mad at her. So she sneaked out of the house and made her way to pick up the ID card. Tonight would be her first big break-in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of Lily's first big heist has finally come; but it's not working out as planned.

_ I have everything planned out _ , she said to herself as she slid into the work outfit, _ I have the routines of the cleaners, the blueprints of the building and even how it connects to the sewers. And the code. I have the code to his safe. _ She repeated those facts in her head all the time to reassure herself but it didn’t stop her from shaking. The black leather outfit was ready in the backpack together with all the supplies she might need. 

She took the subway to the city since parking a motorcycle even close to the building could blow her cover, and once she arrived, she threw her backpack in the trash can behind the house before entering the front door. A security guard nodded at her as Lily slid the ID card through the scanner. A green light lit above her head on the metal detector and she relaxed a bit. At least the card worked, not that she had any reason to doubt it. She grabbed one of the cleaning carts and got to work. After an hour, when it was safe to assume that they wouldn’t pay close attention to her, she drove the cart to the elevator that led to the backdoor to retrieve her bag. She hid the bag in the trash can and proceeded with cleaning up empty offices, making her way up to the top. 

  


When Lily was almost at the top floor, she changed her outfit in the bathroom, took the backpack and snuck into Hoggert’s office. Everything was quiet and dark. She was lucky once again. A big painting hid the vault in which Hoggert kept his stacks of money and gold, but as Lily assumed correctly, the safe with the papers would be hidden elsewhere. After searching the entire office for a switch or a hidden trap door, she found a small button inside the pot of a fake plant. “Aha!” she exclaimed as the light was turned on. 

Hoggert, himself a pig of exceptional size and the physique of a sumo wrestler, stood in the door smiling. “So you’re that little birdie I’m supposed to take care of?” he said as he approached her. 

Lily panicked. She tried to fight him but he managed to take her entire head in just one hand and smashed it into the wall so roughly, she passed out. 

She regained consciousness when the big pig unloaded a bucket of cold water over her head. “Hey sweetie, now is not the time to sleep,'' he grinned as he pulled her up by her hair. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet on the ankles. She was unable to move the ropes even slightly. 

“Let me go, you asshole!” she screamed. She spit in his face when he had pulled her up to eye level and he grinned. 

“Oh, you’re a feisty one. I like that. We’re going to have so much fun. Normally F.O.W.L. just sends me boring losers, but I’m gonna take my time with you.” 

Before she could reply something, an alarm was set off in the room. “Oh, do we have another visitor?” he asked and dropped her to the floor. “Let me take care of that, my sweet birdie, before I come back to you.” He opened the big vault behind the painting, dragged her in there once again by her hair. “Now don’t go anywhere,” he laughed as he closed the door. 

  
  


_ Fuck, fuck, fuck!, _ she screamed inside her head.  _ Think Lily, think! _ Panic flooded her mind and she was unable to grasp a clear thought.  _ This was a setup! I’m so stupid, I- _ The vault door opened and she knew her time was up. There was nothing she could do. 

But instead of the big pig entering, it was a tree? No, a duck. A green duck. Followed by a rat in a yellow suit, a clown and a walking puddle of water. She recognized them immediately.  _ Oh god, no,  _ she thought, _ maybe their leader isn’t here? _ But at that moment she heard menacing laughter from the other room. 

Bushroot turned around and saw her first. “Eh, boss? There’s a… a girl here?” 

“What?” she heard Negaduck’s deep growling voice as he entered. She was so afraid, she didn’t even dare to breathe. He mustered her and then shrugged. “Well, get rid of her then.” 

“WAIT!” Lily yelled out of breath, “wait! I know you guys, you’re the Fearsome Five.” She could see Negaduck shifting and a glimpse of a silver colored object caught her eye. He had a pistol stuck inside his cape. “Or more like, Dr. Reginald Bushroot, a botanist who turned himself into a plant mutant after a failed experiment, Elmo Sputterspark, another mutant who gained his powers during highschool, Bud Flood, a capitalist to boot and another mutant, who gained his powers after fighting Darkwing Duck and being tossed into poisonous water, Quackerjack, who was a toymaker until bankruptcy turned him into a crazed psychopath and… Negaduck.”

His eyes widened when she said his name. “You did your homework, missy. Good to know, and yet one more reason to kill you.” 

Lily shivered and tried to crawl back. “I’m not done yet! Did you find the safe? Do you guys even know about it?” 

“What safe?” Megavolt asked in his scratchy voice, “we’re just here for the cash.” 

Lily tried her best to put on a confident grin. “Oh, this stuff? Worthless compared to what’s in the safe. Just some printed paper and yellow bricks.” 

Negaduck approached her swiftly. “I’ve never been a patient man, Barbie. What safe are you talking about?” He was practically beak to beak with her. 

“Release me and I’ll tell you about it.” 

He contemplated for a second and then said grinning through his crooked teeth, “Alright, fine. Boys, help our little damsel in distress.” 

With one spark Megavolt burned the ropes that shackled her and Bushroot helped her up. She tumbled outside where Negaduck was waiting for them. Hoggert lay on the floor unconscious and apparently tied up with his own ropes.

“Do you want some water?” the Liquidator asked. 

“If it’s from your body… no,” she replied right before falling forward towards Negaduck who caught her purely on instinct. 

“Thanks,” she said as she grabbed his pistol. 

“Oh, shit! You dirty-” he started but she quickly turned around and shot Hoggert in the belly. This did not kill him, but did cause him to wake up and scream in pain.

“Oops, I was aiming for the head,” she said as she unloaded magazine into the pig until he stopped breathing and then threw the pistol back to its owner. “And thanks again.” 

“Well, this robbery is now a homicide,” he exclaimed, “and your aim is shit.” 

“So where’s the safe?”, the Liquidator asked while he watched Quackerjack and Megavolt fill sacks with the contents of the vault. 

“Oh, right,” Lily said and made her way to the pot to push the button once again. A small rectangle opened on the opposite side of the room, uncovering a small safe door behind it. 

“Ohhhh! Can we open it with dynamite? Can we, can we?” Quackerjack yelled in excitement. 

“No, one good electric shock should be enough!” Megavolt answered him. 

“I’m sure Reggie and I can instantly grow a plant strong enough to bust the door wide open!” the Liquidator said with a certain sense of pride. Negaduck just crossed his arms and watched her. 

“Relax guys, I got the code.” Lily laughed and opened the safe.

“Contracts?! What good are they for?!” Quackerjack sighed. 

Negaduck took the papers out of her hands and studied them. “This guy practically owned the city. Interesting. Well, now he’s dead and this shit is worthless. Guess it’s time to meet your maker now, sweetie.” 

Lily stepped back “Woah, can you just not threaten to kill me for a few minutes? Thank you! Yes, they are contracts. Check who else signed them. Our mayor and senator are on every page.” 

Negaduck raised his eyebrow, “Politicians are corrupt. Big news.” 

“Well, it is. Or at least it is for newscasters and other sources. If this shit goes public, they are fucked. This is power,  _ sweetie _ .”

He tossed the papers back at her “I’m not interested in starting a revolution, anyway now-” 

“Ehm, guys?” Bushroot said staring out of the window, “There’s police. A lot of them. They are surrounding this building.” 

“Shit, this bastard must have a silent alarm!” Negaduck growled. “Well done, missy! Now we’re fucked!” 

Lily shoved the papers into the backpack she found in the trash can. “Oh, I know a way out” she said nonchalantly. 

“Well, spill it then!”, Negaduck bellowed at her. 

“I could, but I have two conditions: First: I have no plans on dying tonight, so killing me is off the table. And second: I’m keeping the papers.” 

The mallard grinned. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth, “but you won’t get any of the loot. Now get us out of here!” 

  
  


Lily lead them through the sewers and once they emerged, she walked with them to their hideout. She sat in a corner of the rundown office in the deserted factory while Negaduck divided their spoils. He was a tiny and scrawny mallard. He was almost as short as her, yet the aura he emitted filled the entire room, the entire premise even. They were afraid of him, all of them. Three mutants and one - whatever it was Quackerjack had - and yet this man was able to control them with just a glance. They didn’t even dare to speak up to him. He caught her staring at him from time to time and she tried to look away, but his eyes seemed to lock her view. 

While he handed out the bags, a thought struck Lily. She had been set up by F.O.W.L. If she would go home now and they found out she was not dead, they might come after her to finish the job. She quickly untied her hair and made sure her wild mane would flow nicely over her shoulders and she unzipped her black leather vest just a bit more to show some of her soft and round shaped plumage underneath. 

Once Negaduck was done and the other four left, he took his own sack of loot and turned to her: “Well, that was fun. Have a nice life. Oh, and a word of advice: learn how to shoot.” 

She tried to reseat herself in a position that would benefit her curves. “Well, teach me then” she said smiling mysteriously. 

“What? No!” he laughed but she could see that his eyes lingered at all the spots she had set up. 

“Come on, if you’re such a big gunslinger, help a girl out. I could make it worth your while.” She winked at him and his beak widened into an evil grin. 

“You know what? Why not?” He waved at her to follow him to his jet. 

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

“So Lily, eh? What kind of stupid name is that?!” Negaduck laughed as he piloted his jet through the night sky. 

“Well, what kind of name is Negaduck?” she answered with a cocky smile.

He started laughing louder as his eyes went up and down her body once more. It was clear what he wanted and yet, she didn’t think it would be wise to give into him just yet. They approached a hillside in the woods in the middle of nowhere. A single house, no, a villa was built on the top. He landed smoothly on the helicopter deck and took his loot inside. She followed him, admiring the modern architecture of the building. 

“That’s not bad for a secret hideout,” she said. 

“Yeah, I thought so too. That’s why I threw the owner off this nice little rock. Was some kind of eccentric billionaire, I think. He has a nice collection of vehicles too.” 

They entered the main hall, a huge room with an open kitchen to the left, a glass front on the other end and a television the size of a wall in front of it. Soft white sofas were placed in the middle. Stairs to the left led up to the second floor and the basement. From behind the glass front she could see a pool. 

“Okay listen, dolly, I’m a bit busy now, so two rules. If a door is locked, it’s locked. And don’t come into the basement without permission. Everything else is free to use. Get yourself a room upstairs if you want and there should be some food in the kitchen.” With that, Negaduck disappeared down the stairs. 

_ Well, this was easier than expected, _ Lily thought as she browsed through the contents of the fridge. It was packed with microwave meals and a half eaten cake. “I never thought he’d have a sweet tooth,” she chuckled to herself. After warming up what was supposed to be spaghetti arrabiata, she sat down on the big white couch. 

The room probably used to be pretty and clean before Negaduck occupied this place. Now there was trash, dirty laundry and various weapons spread on the floor everywhere. Stains and a half eaten pizza slice on the white couch completed the image. She devoured her dinner, realizing she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and looked nervously to the stairs every now and again. Noises that sounded like a construction site came from downstairs but he didn’t come up once. 

After throwing the aluminum dish into the trash, she explored the first floor some more. The pool seemed relatively clean, meaning Negaduck can’t have been here for more than a few weeks. To the right of the big room was a door to a grand bathroom. There was a big bathtub fit for at least three people in one corner, a stairless shower in the other. This was really classy, and clean. Either Negaduck didn’t use this bathroom, or he at least kept sanitary facilities tidy. 

Upstairs, she found another big bathroom, three bedrooms and the master bedroom down the hall; locked. Every bedroom had a glass roof and glass front, all of them were unused. She decided not to sleep in the one next to the master bedroom but also not the one next to the stairs, so the middle door it was. 

The king size bed was aligned with the glass front and she could see the silhouettes of distant mountains in the clear winter night. She quickly showered and took a fresh toothbrush out of a cabinet before she went back into her room. Lily locked the bedroom door and placed a butterfly knife that she previously found on the floor in the living room under her pillow. The sheets felt like sinking into a cloud. _ Damn you rich people and your nice stuff, _ she thought before she quickly fell into a deep slumber. 

When she woke up, her door was intact and she didn’t feel this well rested for a long time. After stretching, the small duck checked the big wardrobe. She took a shirt that probably cost more than her monthly rent, and a pair of trousers that fit better than she would have guessed. 

With the butterfly knife in her back pocket she made her way down to the living room only to find it empty. The same noises still came from the basement and she would have guessed Negaduck didn’t emerge from his cave once until she found the plate the cake used to be on on the kitchen counter. She looked around, unsure if this was just a dream or if it was real. It felt real enough for her to at least grab a trash bag and clean up a little bit. In a corner of the room, she found a stereo system with some CDs of metal bands in front of it on the floor. “How anachronistic,” she chuckled as she inserted an album by a band she liked. As the first tunes started seemingly everywhere in the room, she turned up the music and started cleaning up. 

About an hour later she was so carried away by the music, she had cleaned the whole place as good as she could and as she was taking plates out of the dishwasher, the music stopped, since she didn’t set a repeat option. 

“Well well well, who would have thought I’d have a new maid.”, Negaduck leaned against a wall next to the stairs. He was wearing nothing but a bright red top and his mask. Lily was startled and almost dropped the china. This amused the mallard to no end. 

“I- uhm… Don’t get used to it,” she quickly replied. It didn’t sound as laid back as she had hoped. “How long have you been standing there?” 

He shrugged as he reached for a pack of cigarettes on the kitchen counter. “Dunno, a couple of minutes? Just watching you cleaning up my shit…” 

She fixated on the pack in his hands, realizing she hadn’t had a cigarette for almost 24 hours and didn’t even notice. “Hey, care to share?” she asked with her biggest smile.

He gave her the one he just lighted without further comment. They stood there in silence for a few moments, inhaling the nicotine and looking around the room. 

Lily tried to glimpse at him without Negaduck noticing. He was even skinnier than she thought. However, he didn’t seem weak, quite the opposite in fact. 

“Like what you see, blondie?” he chuckled and she snapped out of her thoughts. Lily scoffed and turned the other way to dispense the ashes into the sink. He just let them fall on the floor. 

“So,” she started once again trying to sound as smooth as possible, “what’s gonna happen now?” 

He raised his eyebrows. “I thought we’d fuck.” 

Lily laughed out loud in surprise. “Wow, what a charmer you are. Not so fast! You promised to teach me how to shoot, _ Negsy _.” 

This nickname made his eyes widen like those of a feral cat. She didn’t really seem afraid of him. Nervous? Yes, but afraid? Not so much. This was new and very interesting. 

“Relax. missy. Do you really think I brought you here just for some pussy? You showed some skill back there yesterday, well, for a rookie.” 

“Ah, if you’re such a seasoned criminal, how come you didn’t know of the safe, or the exit through the sewers?” 

He scroffed. “Anyway, I could use someone like you, someone who’s able to think. With all those mutations, the only things that remained the same with my idiot crew are theirretarded brains.” 

She sat down in the living room. “Go on, tell me more about how amazingly I saved the situation last night.” 

He sat down next to her and let out a loud laugh. “You’re a cocky one, aren’t you? So, explain to me how you got into the vault in the first place. I bet that was another amazingly executed plan?” 

She told him about F.O.W.L., their recruitment and betrayal, and his grin grew wider. 

“If they were so eager to talk to me, why not give me a call?” 

Lily looked at him confused. “They sorta did? This one guy you tortured?” 

He was scrubbing his beak, deeply submerged in thoughts. “Oh, that guy was from F.O.W.L.? Yeah, I remember now… and here I thought they were professionals! Ha!”

Lily thought about asking him what exactly happened with him, but that might result in him showing her in a way that she would regret. 

“So, what did you find about me?” he asked, leaning back into the cushion, a big cloud of smoke escaping his beak. He eyed her like a predator but his prey didn’t break eye contact. 

“Not a single thing. It’s like you’re a ghost. I didn’t expect your real name but I was sure I could dig up some information, and yet there was nothing. It’s really quite impressive.” 

“That sweet sound of admiration…” Negaduck growled and as he moved closer, she stood up. 

“Enough chit-chat, you big bad boy,” Lily said with a sarcastic undertone, “show me the ropes.” 

He laughed as he extinguished the cigarette end on the mahogany table. “Alright, meet me in the basement in an hour.” 

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

While she waited, Lily went back up to her room where she had left her backpack the night before. Inside, she found the documents, and the tools she brought with her to the failed heist: some lockpicks, a hairpin, several screwdrivers in different shapes and sizes, and the plan of the building. Next to dirt, crumbs and scrunched up receipts was her phone - or half of it. Hoggert must have broken it in two before he threw the backpack into the trash can. 

_Roland and the others think I’m dead for sure_, she thought as she tossed the backpack carelessly aside, _if they even care. They are so fed up in their own drama, I bet they didn’t even notice. _With a deep sigh, she asked herself, if Marie and Susie were alright and given how things were at F.O.W.L., would they assume he killed her before he got shot? There were no security cameras installed in his office but Lily didn’t have the time to gather the footage from every other room and corridor they passed during their escape. 

As she sat on the floor, sunken in thoughts, a loud banging came from the door. 

“You in there, Barbie? I don’t like waiting!” Negaduck yelled from the other side. 

Lily jumped up when his deep voice pulled her back into reality and opened the door. “Maybe I’m worth the wait?” she said with a cheeky smile.

He scoffed and answered, “Well, you better be,” as he walked down the stairs. 

Negaduck led her down the stairs into a long corridor with three doors. The ones on the left and in the middle were closed, and the door on the right was slightly open and emitted a faint light. 

“Alright, same rules. If a door is closed, it’s closed. Don’t enter!” Negaduck explained and he tried to sound so serious, that Lily couldn’t help but think of him as a moody teenager. 

“Aye aye, sir!” Lily answered mockingly which had him turn around and raise an eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything. 

He went through the door on the right and when she entered, she saw a narrow room with a single light bulb on the ceiling that didn’t even lighten up every corner. There was a construct of wooden planks and what seemed like a broken chair at the far end. A target was sloppily drawn on it. There was an old leather sofa in a corner to the right and packages of various sweets on the floor. 

“Ah, you didn’t tell me, you had a deluxe suite!” Lily laughed as she looked around the room. 

Negaduck turned around, pointing a gun at her. “You have a real big beak, you know that, missy?” 

Her eyes widened at the sight of the gun but then she replied, “So do you, but at least mine is only metaphorical!” 

Negaduck lowered the gun and bursted into an honest, yet still menacing laugh. “Okay dolly, now-”

“You know my name is Lily, right?” she interrupted.

Negaduck shrugged as he replied, “Yeah, but it’s stupid. I like your nicknames better.” 

_Dehumanizing me, huh? I’ll make you scream my name one day_, she thought as she listened to his instructions. 

After half an hour of trying to hit the target in the middle by following his instructions and applying what she learned from her F.O.W.L. training, Negaduck got up the sofa and growled. “Man, you’re so bad at this! I knew it was a mistake to think that I could have a use for some rich kid like you!”

She turned around. “Rich kid? What are you talking about?”

Negaduck was taken aback for a second. “Well, look at you! You look like some spoiled brat who never had to worry a day in her life, and now wants some fun adventure. I’m not here to fulfill some fantasy of yours, dolly!” he yelled while pacing through the room.

“Excuse me?! I’m not a ‘spoiled brat!’ For your information, I grew up in an orphanage and lived on the streets for months until I found a job at a drug cartel!” Lily shouted back, the gun still in her hands.

He raised his eyebrows. “Is that so? Then how come you don’t shoot like your life depends on it? Shouldn’t you have learned this on the street, or were you too busy earning your money while lying on your back?”

The mockery in his voice was unbearable for her. She pointed the gun at him. “Should you really insult me while I have this?” 

Suddenly, he moved swiftly like a tiger and the next thing Lily felt was how he took the gun out of her hand with ease while throwing her to the floor. Despite his slender physique, he pinned her there. 

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to point that thing at me, sweety?” he whispered softly, his face was dangerously close to hers. 

Instead of answering, Lily gave him a headbutt and Negaduck fell back, landing on his behind. He held his beak and started laughing. 

“That was not bad, not bad at all!” he exclaimed as he got back up to his feet, “Though there were several maneuvers that would have gotten you out of this without a potential concussion. I’ll show them to you later.” With that he left the room. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Lily asked as she rushed after him, despite her dizziness. 

“I’m hungry and watching you fail is so boring, it makes me sleepy,'' he answered as he went up the stairs. 

Upstairs in the kitchen, Lily saw him struggle with the packaging of a microwave dinner. 

“You’re supposed to remove the foil after you heated it up,” she laughed. 

“I don’t need it heated, it tastes fine like this.” He shrugged as he continued to impatiently tear apart the box. 

“What?! No! Ewww!” Lily stepped in and took the box out of his hand. “Just pull this up, take the aluminum dish and put it in here. If you wouldn’t have shredded the box, you would know that it needs five minutes. Lucky for you, I’m not an expert chef so I eat this stuff way too often.” 

She started the microwave and Negaduck paced around in the open kitchen. His feet didn’t stay still once but his eyes were fixated on the timer. After a familiar “bing,” he rushed forward to open the door but Lily was closer. She placed the dish on a plate and removed the cover. Hot steam and the smell of beef, mashed potatoes and gravy filled the room which made realize how hungry she was. 

“There you go,” she said with a triumphant smile as she handed Negaduck the plate and a fork. 

He wolfed it down so quickly, Lily wondered if he even chewed once. While preparing the same meal for herself, she asked him, “It’s better warmed up, isn’t it?” 

“It tastes almost the same, no need to waste all this time,” he shrugged after his final bite. 

Strands of blonde hair touched his elbow when the other duck sat down on the stool next to him, but he immediately got up and disappeared upstairs without giving her another look. 

After she threw away the aluminum dishes, Lily stood in the middle of the big living room and looked around while lighting another of Negaduck’s cigarettes. _No phone, no notebook, nothing to check on the world, guess I have to do things the old way_, she thought as she sat down and took the remote for the huge TV. She zapped through the programs until she found a news channel and then realized that these were not on demand. She had to wait for the broadcast to loop again. Lily touched the place of her forehead where she hit Negaduck. It still throbbed and she could feel a tiny bump growing. 

“Still no new information about the sudden death of billionaire and philanthrope Harry Hoggert, who sadly passed away due to a heart attack while working overtime in his office at Hoggert Tower,” the newscaster said. 

Lily’s eyes were fixated on the screen. _ Heart attack? Are you kidding me?! _ She frowned. Stretched out on the huge sofa, she watched the news until the loop started again and then changed the channel to a cooking show. Her eyes fell shut before the host announced what today’s recipe would be. 

Lily woke up to the sound of the lighter and turned around. “Hey,” she said and Negaduck nodded at her. He sat down on the sofa next to her as she got up into a sitting position. 

“You always sleep this much?” he asked while watching a plump chicken lady stuff whipped cream into pastries. 

“Not really. How long did I sleep?” Lily wiped the crust from her eyes. 

“How should I know? I was upstairs for maybe four hours?”

“Uh, anyway,'' she started, it felt awkward sitting next to him like this, “you don’t happen to have a spare phone or anything, do you?” 

He looked at her from the corner of his eye while taking a puff of the cigarette. “Why, do you wanna call someone? Thought you were officially dead.” 

“Well, for one, I still have the papers I have to get rid of. Two, I feel so naked without any technology on hand.” 

“Oh, and we wouldn’t want you _ naked_, now, would we?” Negaduck smirked, got up and went into the basement again. 

_ Well, I guess that’s a no then _. Lily sighed and sank back into the soft cushion. The chicken on the television was now decorating the pastries with chocolate. A few minutes later, Negaduck got back up and threw a brand new WaddlePhone, WaddlePad and WaddleBook into her lap. All these combined cost several thousand dollars. 

“That’s the best stuff I have right now. The specs are top notch, but if you want something that’s a bit more customizable, there’s more where that came from.” 

Lily stared down on these items. “Actually, it would be nice to have something where I can install my own operating system but you don’t have to-” Before she could finish, he went downstairs again and came back with a no name phone from China, which was very popular among people who wanted to stay anonymous on the internet, and a ThinkBook, perfect for customizing software and hardware. 

“You might want to upgrade the RAM in this one,” Negaduck said as he nonchalantly threw the boxes next to her. 

Lily inspected the stats of the notebook. It couldn’t have been older than three months. “It’s fine, really! Thank you so much! I can pay you, once I’ve sold these documents,” she said and started unwrapping. 

“Pay me? Sweetie, you think I paid for those?” He laughed and watched her admire the new hardware. 

After an hour, Lily was completely submerged into the screen. She set up her new notebook and felt unstoppable. With a new line to the internet, a phone number she got from questionable sources, she was finally back in her element. Negaduck disappeared into the basement again and when he came up again hours later, Lily sat on the floor next to a socket, a cigarette burning untouched in the ashtray next to her as typed frantically. 

“Ha!” she exclaimed when Negaduck sat down next to her and took the cigarette, “guess who just made 500 grand?” She smiled at him victoriously. 

He grabbed the notebook out of her hands looked at the screen in surprise. “What? How did you…? Wait a minute! _ You’re _ Lister?!” 

“Uh-huh,'' she leaned and took the cigarette from him again, “and I just sold the papers to the highest bidder. They are calling that Hoggert pig a philanthrope in the news. I’m not having that bullshit.”

Negaduck gave her back the notebook, and Lily savoured the admiring look in his eyes. “I know your name,” he said, “you’re one of those who lead the DDoS attack on that Mark Beaks idiot! I remember him proclaiming that his services were the most secure in the world, live on stage. Ha! The look on his face was priceless!”

“Yeah, I was one of them. A few acquaintances and I had some fun during his annual presentation,” Lily laughed as she pushed the cigarette stump into the ashtray. 

“Barbie, maybe you’re more useful to me than I thought,” Negaduck said as he got up, “now get off your ass. I have to teach you how to survive in the real world.” 

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Three weeks had passed since Lily met the Fearsome Five. Three weeks of rigorous training with Negaduck. Her time in the F.O.W.L. bunker was a holiday compared to this. There were no routines and they took breaks only when she was physically at her limit. He had not only taught her how to hit a target with different weapons, he also trained her in several combat techniques and honed her lockpicking skills. When he let Lily sleep for a few hours, Negaduck disappeared into the middle door in the basement and emerged once she knocked on the door to signal that she was awake again. 

“You learn faster than I thought,'' he once told her over another microwave meal. “At this rate, you’ll be a very useful member of the Fearsome Five in no time.” 

Lily could hardly suppress her smile. “Is the name still up to date then? Or will you call the group… I don’t know, the Sinister Six?” 

Negaduck leaned back on the stool and tipped his beak with the flat end of his spoon. “Tempting, but no. You’re more my wild card. We all got criminal records of some sorts and are known villains, but you’re not. I want to teach you how to use a sniper rifle. You’re gonna be my last resort if something goes wrong. Well, you need to learn how to climb for this… maybe I should throw you off this rock after all?” He laughed and got up. “Alright, come on! Time for training!” 

“I haven’t finished my food yet!” Lily called after him.

“Well, eat faster next time. Come on,” he answered on his way down the stairs. 

When she entered their training room, Negaduck attacked her immediately. This was no longer a surprise since he would ambush her at random times throughout the day to train her reflexes. After a few unusual punches she didn’t expect, Lily found herself on the floor with future bruises on her chest and stomach. 

“Not fair! You never used this combo before!” she complained. 

“Stop whining and get up! You think your enemy will give you a PowerPoint presentation of his moveset before he attacks? He’s an idiot but not a bad fighter.” 

“He? Oh, you mean Darkwing Du-” 

“Enough chit chat, blondie. Get off your ass!” He pulled her up by her arm violently. Another bruise that will later show underneath her light cream feathers. 

Lily used the momentum of being lifted to kick him in the stomach and make him tumble back a few steps. 

“That’s more like it!” he grinned as he charged forward again. 

Mentioning the masked mallard seemed to infuriate Negaduck. He punched Lily in the face several times and she could barely stop him from smashing her head into the self-made target. 

“Stop it! Negs, please! Don’t!” she screamed when he held her by the hair.

Negaduck threw her down and growled. “You’re still so damn weak! Instead of begging me to stop, you should defend yourself!” he yelled. “Pathetic! Just pathetic!” 

He stormed out of the room and a slammed door signaled that he once again disappeared into whatever was behind the middle door in the basement. Lily got up again and rubbed her forehead. _Don’t you dare cry_, she told herself as she felt her eyes watering. She went to the living room and grabbed the remote of the big TV as well as her laptop. To distract herself, she submerged into the depths of the internet, while the newsreader of a 24/7 news channel kept her company. 

Hours later, while Lily aggressively smashed an angry reply for a Reddit forum into her keyboard, she heard the sound of a lighter behind her. Seconds later, a hand offered her a cigarette. She took it without further comment and Negaduck jumped over the back of the couch and sat down next to her. 

“So, who are we roasting today? It sounded like a machine gun up here,” he laughed. 

Lily took a puff of the cigarette and continued typing. “Just some guy who thinks his opinion is superior. Nothing out of the ordinary.” 

“I see. Tell me one thing: why Lister? That’s a weird name.”

“Why Negaduck? That name is even weirder,” she eyed him from the edge of her screen. 

“An interesting question with a boring answer,” he answered with a smirk. “Maybe I will tell it to you one day.” 

That sounded like a promise. With every word that wasn’t an insult, Lily felt like he was warming up to her. Maybe she should risk a leap of faith. “Well, my friend used to call me Lil-ster but the autocorrect on his phone always changed it to Lister every time, so this was my nickname for a time.”

“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to use such an obvious name in those parts of the web where you feel most at home?” 

Lily gave out a bitter laugh. “Negsy, my appearance is my disguise. No one suspects Lister to be a small blond woman and I made sure it stays that way. When they would get a look at me, they would think I was some dumb girl.” 

Negaduck raised his eyebrows. “Using misogyny and prejustices to your advantage to outsmart your opponent, eh?” The tone of his voice indicated that she was supposed to be flattered now. 

A news report interrupted their conversation: _“Reports just came in that the villain Megavolt has been caught by the self-proclaimed hero Darkwing Duck. Mister, ehm... Darkwing? Would you like to elaborate how you caught the-” _

The purple caped mallard grabbed the microphone before the newscaster could finish his question._“Well, of course I would! Thanks to me, Darkwing Duck, the good people of St. Canard can finally rest well in their beds again. Because I am-” _

_“But what about the other ‘supervillains’ who still roam the streets freely?”_ the reporter asked while he struggled to get his microphone back. 

_“These evildoers will be behind bars in no time! They already cower in fear of me!”_ Darkwing exclaimed with the pathos of a middle school theater kid reciting Shakespeare. 

_“And how do you plan on capturing them? Do you have any leads?”_

_“Well, ehm…”_ he stuttered, _“of course I do! I am Darkwing Duck! But I would never be so stupid as to give them a hint here on camera!” _

“Lily, for fuck’s sake! Turn that off!” Negaduck yelled. 

She pushed the button on the remote and looked at him. “Are you mad because Megavolt was caught?”

“What? No! He can rot in hell for all I care!” he growled. “It’s this idiot! My blood boils whenever I see him!”

Lily raised her eyebrows. “You know, he kind of reminds me of you. Not only the fact that you two wear the same outfit in different colors - which is a story I’d really like to hear by the way - but also your looks and voice.”

“Ha!” Negaduck bellowed, “That’s pure coincidence! If anything, he copies ME!” 

“Alright, alright. No need to get all defensive,” she laughed. 

“You make me crazy sometimes with your stupid laugh and your stupid face, you know that?” he shouted as he got up from the couch. 

Lily was bewildered by this. “Why? What did I do?” 

He scoffed and walked back into the basement. “I have some stuff to do, so you entertain yourself, blondie.”

“For every nice moment, I have to endure a barrade of outrage,” Lily sighed as she opened a new tab on her browser to watch some DuckTube videos. 

A few minutes into a thirty minutes rant about the final season of a beloved TV show, Lily heard a bang and smoke emerged from the basement. Negaduck came running, his feathers coated in black from soot. 

“Shit, shit, shit!” he screamed as he grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen wall and ran back down again.

A few minutes later, the smoke stopped and Negaduck went upstairs. She could hear the shower running soon after. _Well, at least he takes a shower once in a while_, Lily chuckled to herself.

Curiosity got the upper hand and she slid into the basement. The middle door stood wide open, so technically she wasn’t breaking his rule. She entered another narrow room but way better lit. He had lamps installed everywhere to light the two huge desks. On those, she found bits and pieces of electronics, tools, hardware, single-board computers, as well as other peripherals and accessories. She also spotted the culprit of the fire: a still slightly smoking soldering station on one of the desks. A huge grey curtain separated the far back of the room. 

As Lily approached it to lift the curtain, she heard Negaduck behind her, “Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. What a waste of pussy that would be.” 

Lily jumped and turned around. “The door was open, so your rules don’t apply this time!” 

“Well, true. Still, you shouldn’t be here. The air is full of tin and other heavy metals.” 

Lily observed the desks on her way out. “You know, if you need help with those, I can lend a hand. I have a real steady one, especially when it comes to soldering.”Negaduck laughed. “Is there something you can’t do?”  
  
“No, I’m practically perfect,” Lily winked as they made their way up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on a short break for two to three weeks now, thank you all for reading it so far!


	8. Chapter 8

It had been three days since the incident with the burning soldering station and after accepting Lily’s offer, Negaduck spent day and night in the basement, except for when he took his jet into town to get wood and other building materials. The thought of Negaduck parking his flying vehicle in front of a hardware store to buy crafting materials amused Lily so much that she didn’t want to know the truth of how he actually acquired the supplies.

“Alright, come in,” Negaduck called from behind the door. 

Lily pushed down the handle and entered the workshop. He had reorganized the room so that the desks were mostly free from clutter with only the needed tools on them. Shelves with neatly stacked compartments stood on the walls. Instead of spotlights, he had installed an intricate yet tidy system of lamps on the ceiling. The curtains on the other end of the room were gone, cleared away for a makeshift wooden wall with a big lock on the door.

“So,” Negaduck smirked at her, “what do you say?”

Lily returned his grin. “Ah, it’s just like in the fairy tale where the princess gets a library.”

“Oh, shut up!” he laughed. “Lemme give you a tour.” 

Hours later, the two were working together as if they had been their entire life. Lily noticed how Negaduck’s rage kept him from work that required patience and a steady hand, like screwing in the tiniest screws or soldering cables to a board with the needed care. But it did help him with anything that required brute strength. He seemed content and almost happy with this occupation. 

_ If his crime boss career goes down the drain, he’d make a great mechanic, _ Lily chuckled to herself as she watched Negaduck sand down the sharp edge of a piece of metal. 

“I know. I’m absolutely stunning. But stop daydreaming and give me the finished microchip!” Negaduck exclaimed and snapped Lily out of her thoughts. 

After she wordlessly handed him the chip, Lily heard a word she never thought would leave his beak and it left her standing in the middle of the room frozen like a statue. 

Absentmindedly, he mumbled an honest sounding “thanks” as he took it from her. 

“I’m gonna go take a break,” she said, slightly flabbergasted. Negaduck dismissively waved at her and continued his work. 

Lily stormed up the stairs, her face burning. Thanks. Six little letters. One syllable. It came out so casually, a tiny little mindlessly spoken word, yet it made her heart race. Words of gratitude from him were less than sparse. 

After lighting her cigarette, Lily paced the room thinking to herself, the sound of his voice still echoing in her mind. Who taught him basic manners? His parents? Did someone like Negaduck have parents? Suddenly, Lily realized that she knew nothing about the mallard she had spent the last few weeks with. Nobody knew where she was and who she was with. Fear and excitement intertwined in her brain. 

Pressing the cigarette stump into the overflowing ashtray, Lily noticed another familiar feeling inside her guts: hunger. 

While she ate another microwave meal, Negaduck came up the stairs, paced around the room and then stood on the other end of the kitchen counter, staring into her eyes while tapping his finger on the marble top. 

“Yes?” Lily asked him with a confused smile. 

“You’re ready, I think,” he stated, his eyes still focused, “for a little action.” 

Lily started laughing but he talked over her. “Tonight we’re going to town to get some easy money. There’s this guy I really don't like. He’s a self-made millionaire who - get this - has most of his money in a safe in his office. Next to a giant window front! He’s just begging for me to grab it!”

Lily gave out a sarcastic laugh. “How convenient!”

“No. He’s young, he’s trained in some martial arts shit and thinks he's invincible. I read an article about him the other day where he bragged about not needing security because he’s a one man killing machine.” Negaduck rolled his eyes.

“You can read? I’d never suspect that.” 

“Shut up and get ready for tonight,” Negaduck answered with a wide grin. 

Lily was not entirely sure how to prepare but as she slipped into her leather overalls, her confidence rose. The most dangerous criminal in the city - probably in the entire country - was taking her on a heist. The thought alone made her blood race through her veins. 

Shortly after sunset, they met in the garage. Next to expensive sports cars and SUVs stood his signature red and yellow motorbike but when Lily walked towards it, Negaduck shook his head. 

“Not this one, sweetie. Too much baggage,” he explained. 

“Did you just call me baggage?!” Lily snapped at him.

“No! ...Well, yes, but I meant our loot, blondie,” he laughed as he got into a black car. 

“Hmpf, whatever.” Lily sat down in the passenger seat and without fastening the seat belt, Negaduck drove the car out of the slowly opening garage door. 

About an hour later, they stood on the roof straight across the office of their victim. The building was dark and seemingly empty. Lily looked through binoculars and frowned. 

“What are you thinking?” Negaduck asked her in a low voice. 

Lily handed him the binoculars. “It looks empty, but if he claims he doesn’t need security, he must guard it himself. Therefore, he must be around somewhere.”

The masked mallard chuckled and pointed at the rooms atop the office. “I bet he’s in there.”

A faint light caught Lily’s eyes. “Oh, like a penthouse or something?” 

Negaduck nodded.

“Smart. You think he has stairs leading directly into his office? Or to his safe room?” Lily asked with the excitement of a child that learned a new word. 

Another nod. “I’ll bet my hat on it. So what’s the best strategy?”

Lily touched her beak while thinking. “How about we go up there and make sure he doesn’t come down? Oh, but wait, you said he’s trained in martial arts…”

“Ha! Please!” Negaduck exclaimed. “He’s some rich hipster ass who does beginner’s capoeira and bangs his yoga teacher. Nothing  _ I _ couldn’t handle!”

“So, what do you want  _ me _ to do then?” Lily’s big green eyes widened. 

“You,” he smiled at her almost menacing, “will watch and learn, sweetie.”

Negaduck pulled her to his chest and with a swift movement of his arm, he shot his grappling hook across the night sky. Once it was firmly holding onto the much higher roof of the opposite building, he retracted the rope and the two ducks were pulled up. 

“You should have asked me if I’m afraid of heights!” Lily protested as they climbed up the roof. 

“Well, are you?” he asked with a wide grin. 

“No,” she answered, slightly out of breath, “but I still don’t want to be lifted into the air with nothing other than your coat to hold onto!” 

“Quiet!” said Negaduck, holding his finger up to his beak. “Remember what we’re here for.” 

They walked across the glass ceiling and looked through to the floor below. The alleged hipster millionaire was directly below them in a room full of training equipment. He was a bright green parrot with long hair and dark eyes. While watching an old movie about a retired boxer on his decadently huge TV, he did several kickboxing sequences - completely naked. 

“Of course a naked parrot doing kickboxing routines would be a fan of that film...” Lily chuckled.

“What a fucking idiot.” Negaduck burst into laughter. 

Lily eyed the man closely. “Well, he certainly is in good shape. And I really don’t want to be beaten up by a naked man tonight…”

Negaduck looked at her, his eyes widened to an almost innocent looking expression.

“Okay, it’s not completely off the table,” she added.

The mallard fumbled in the inside of his cape and pulled out a long capsule. 

“Hold your breath, Barbie,” he grinned and wrapped his cape around his right hand. With a swift motion, Negaduck broke the glass window. He opened the capsule and a blue smoke slowly emitted from the top. He threw the capsule into the room below and before the owner knew what was happening, he coughed several times before passing out on the floor. 

Before Lily fully realized what had happened, the smoke got thinner and disappeared into nothingness. “What a neat trick,” she said with the faintest admiration in her voice. 

Negaduck shrugged as he mounted his grappling hook on the now broken window. 

“My lady,” he said in a mockingly soft voice and held out a hand to Lily. 

She laughed as she grabbed it and together they went down into the apartment. 

“This stuff won’t knock him out for long, so we better hurry. Go find a way down into his office!” Negaduck commanded as he went searching himself. 

A few minutes later, they found a locked door and Negaduck fumbled on the lock for less than a minute, his breath was calm and his hands were steady. The lock opened with an almost inaudible “click” and revealed a staircase. 

“Who knew you could be so skilled with your hands,” Lily mocked as they made their way down the stairs. 

“Ha, that was nothing. I could show you things that would make you scream in delight.” 

“Tempting, but how about we find the safe first?” Lily smirked as she passed him on the staircase. Negaduck turned around and, after a few seconds, came rushing down as well. A loud bang and debris followed him. 

“What was that?!” Lily screamed, shocked. 

“Oh, nothing. I just made it harder for our naked guy to follow us,” Negaduck answered nonchalantly.

They found the safe next to the staircase in the middle of the floor. It practically begged them to rob it. 

Negaduck eyed the safe and said, “Alright, give me five minutes alone with this baby.”

While he started working on the safe with a drilling machine, Lily looked around the office. The whole floor was decorated in a simplistic modern design. Every table, chair and probably every leaf of every plant was placed as if it were in the background for a photo shoot. The seemingly perfect environment made Lily sick. This was the life of a person who had everything, could afford everything. This place reeked of perfection and decadence. As she turned around a corner, Lily saw the reception desk where a huge vase with three lilies stood on the counter, in perfect bloom, of course. Everything had to be flawless. 

She took the vase and smashed it against the wall of frosted glass behind the desk. 

Negaduck came around the corner carrying a huge sack over his shoulder and looked at the shards. “You okay?” he asked with a look that might indicate sincere worry. 

“Yea, I just-“ Before she could finish the sentence, they heard turmoil behind them. 

“Yo, what the fuck?!” a voice screamed behind them. “What the fuck is going on?! I’m gonna call the police!” 

Negaduck laughed. “Our unintentional host seems to be awake. C’mon Lily, let’s get out of here.” 

He pushed a chair out of the window and as the shards fell on the floor, Negaduck grabbed Lily and pulled out his grappling hook. They were once again flying through the night sky, Lily holding the sack in one hand while digging her fingers deeply into Negaduck’s side with the other. Once they had solid ground underneath their feet, they started to run. 

After two more jumps and swings over the roofs of St. Canard, the two ducks came to a halt. Lily was panting heavily while Negaduck just breathed a bit harder than usual.

There she was, on the rooftop with a bag full of money and the most dangerous criminal to date. Lily’s heart was racing and the blood in her veins seemed to explode. She felt every inch of her body twitching with excitement as the adrenaline rushed through her system. The way he stood there, half submerged by the shadows, staring down at her with that arrogant smirk and seemingly unimpressed by their narrow escape would have made her mad any other time but not now. Now another feeling unfolded inside her mind that she couldn’t quite grasp. 

“Well, that was someth-“ Negaduck started as Lily dragged him down by the collar of his coat and smashed her beak against his. After a few seconds of confusion, he pulled her closer to him, letting out a deep growl. As Lily’s tongue found her way into his mouth, Negaduck’s pointy teeth gently bit down, just enough for a delicate taste of the pain he could afflict with them. Lily moaned and wrapped herself closer around him. After a few more love bites, they separated, now both panting. 

“Wow, not bad. But why?” Negaduck asked her. The surprised look made way for a wide grin. 

“I don’t know. I just felt like it,” Lily answered. “Now, let’s go and continue this at home.” 


	9. Chapter 9

The silence between them was thick as honey as Negaduck steered the car through the narrow roads. The trees flew past the windows and Lily stared at them with a forced easiness from the passenger’s seat. Neither of them spoke a single word after they left the roof. 

“So,” Negaduck finally said, his deep rasping voice cutting through the silence like a knife, “your first gig, eh? How does it feel?”

“It’s not really the first. Remember where you picked me up? And it’s not like I never broke the law before either,” Lily answered, trying to sound casual. 

“Forget all that shit. It’s your first gig under  _ my _ tutelage. You’re playing with the big boys now.” He looked over to her with a wide grin on his face. 

Lily was unable to withstand his look. “Watch the road, please, my masterfully skilled teacher.” 

He scoffed at her but went silent.

Her mind was still pulsing from the adrenaline rush of the night. How close he was to her when he literally swept her off her feet, the confidence he had. His skills were undeniable. Even if the person they robbed was an idiot, it was still a flawlessly executed plan. This was not the Negaduck she had spent the last few weeks with. He had been restless, short-tempered and tense. Now, he was calm, relaxed and content. The way he looked at her on the rooftop after their escape still made Lily dizzy. He sure was handsome, that much was undeniable. But there was something else about him. An aura she couldn’t quite pin down. 

After another long and uncomfortable silence, the car finally turned into the driveway of the mansion. As soon as Negaduck turned off the engine, Lily jumped out of the vehicle and stormed into her room. 

_ What to do? What to do?! _ Lily’s mind repeated several times. 

She slid out of her tight leather outfit and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It’s been months since she took a hard look at her naked body. She definitely lost weight, probably due to Negaduck’s rigorous training and limited meal options. Her blonde curls had grown so long, they almost touched her tail feathers and yet they still fell nicely over her shoulders. Lily couldn’t help but marvel at her physique. She picked up a slim black shirt and rummaged in her backpack. After she found what she had been searching, Lily made her way to the bathroom to quickly wash herself, then she put on the shirt and buttoned up two buttons to barely hide her plumage. 

Negaduck came out of the basement and almost bumped into Lily while she was on her way down. 

“Hey, you, eh-” Negaduck’s eyes widened as they wandered up and down her body. 

He was stunned for a second and Lily seized the opportunity to pull him into another passionate kiss. His hands wandered down her back, lifted her up and pressed her against the wall. A soft sigh escaped Lily when he pulled his beak away from her.

“Now listen, blondie. I should warn you. With me, there’s no sweet love making. I’m going to  _ wreck _ you,” he growled. 

“Funny, I was about to say the same,” Lily grinned. She clenched her legs around him and he carried her to the big sofa. 

Negaduck, now towering over her, quickly unbuttoned his coat and removed it together with the red turtleneck. All he was wearing now was his black mask and a black tank top. He tore open Lily’s shirt and grinned longingly when she suddenly sat up. 

“Wait a minute. Here.” Lily handed him the condom she had previously stored in the chest pocket of her shirt. When he didn’t immediately grab it, she gave him a long expectant look. 

“Seriously? Urg, alright. Sex with women is so complicated!” Negaduck protested as he took the condom. 

“Oh no, it’s not for  _ that _ . I just… no offense, but I don’t want to catch an STD from you,” Lily tried to give him her most charming smile. 

“What?!  _ Excuse me?! _ I don’t have diseases! Who do you think  _ I am _ ?!” Negaduck was furious. 

Since the mood was already shifting and Lily didn’t want to make it worse, she gave him a peck on the chin, making sure that her soft plumage would press against his chest. 

“Alright, I’m going to take a leap of faith and trust you,” she said as she softly caressed the feathers on his chest. “But you need to do something for me too.” 

His face softened again. “And what would that be?”

“Take a shower. Just a quick one. We did a lot of running today and, you know, you don’t exactly smell like roses. If you do that for me, we don’t need the condom.” Her face once widened to the most innocent smile she could muster. 

Negaduck sighed as his eyes followed the curve of her hips. “So, you’re on birth control?” 

Lily gave out a bitter laugh. “Oh no, I don’t need birth control. I can’t have kids.”

“Well, that makes it easy then. I’ll be right back.” He didn’t see the bitter smile on her face as he walked to the bathroom. 

To get into the mood again, Lily focused on the kisses they had shared earlier this night. How his beak roughly caressed hers, and his soft growls. He had been making comments about his desire the entire time they shared together, yet they might’ve been said just to tease her. However, it was undeniable in the way he kissed her. The victorious look he gave her after they pulled apart on the rooftop made Lily’s heart race. The mallard everyone in town was terrified of wanted  _ her _ . 

Soon after the sound of the shower died down, Negaduck came out of the bathroom, naked except for his black mask, and spread his arms. 

“There, like a newly hatched baby, are you happy now?” he ridiculed. 

“Oh, did you hatch with a black mask around your eyes?” Lily laughed as she gently dragged him onto the big white sofa. 

He smiled. “No, but it’s like a second coat of feathers. The mask stays on, blondie.” 

Before he could react, Lily tossed the mallard into the pillows, sat on his belly and pulled his head up by the hair. 

“I told you before. I have a name,” she whispered, leaning down closely to his face. “Say it!” 

Negaduck didn’t move, but the smirk on his face couldn’t hide his soft moans. “Fine. Lily,” he murmured. “Happy now?”

She pulled him up even further, bending his back into an uncomfortable position. 

“No, say it louder. I want you to say my name, and I’ll reward you by making you scream it later.” The look in her eyes was menacing. 

“Lily!” he exclaimed, his face twitching almost unnoticeable. 

“Good boy.” Lily released his hair and gently stroked over his beak and chest with her hands. 

Suddenly, Negaduck got up and pinned her down on the couch with much more force than she used. He pushed his beak onto her’s. The kiss was fierce and raw but too short for Lily’s taste. 

“From the very beginning, I knew you were a feisty one. We’re gonna have so much fun.” He grinned as he breathed down her neck and bit into her shoulder. 

+++

As the sun was rising behind the edge of the forest, white and cream colored feathers were scattered all over the floor. The two ducks were both sweating and panting from exhaustion. Negaduck sat on the edge of the couch, lighting a cigarette and handing it wordlessly to Lily, who was stretched out on the huge white cushions. 

“Nah, not now. I gotta pee,” Lily explained, short of breath. 

Negaduck shrugged and put the cigarette into his mouth. “You’re not bad, Barbie, I’ll give you that. With that stupidly pretty face and the gold locks and shit, I really didn’t expect you to be such a freak.”

“Not bad yourself, Negsy,” Lily answered as she got up and stretched her sore muscles. 

Every part of her body was inflicted with a different kind of pain. Some were from him, mostly intentional, and other parts were rusty since it had been a long time. Bite marks covered her neck, chest and thighs and she also felt scratches on the back. She was proud to see that she left her fair share of marks on him too. 

After using the toilet, Lily stepped into the shower and let the hot water wash away the sweat and other body fluids.  _ Now what? _ She thought to herself.  _ Is he going to kill me now that he got what he wanted? Unlikely after all this training. Maybe we’re going to be the next Bonnie and Clyde? Is he my boyfriend now? _ Lily laughed out loud.  _ Oh no, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t do relationships. Good. The last thing I want is a relationship... but maybe it doesn’t need a tag. Maybe we’re just gonna fuck and do crimes? I could roll with that.  _

She cleaned herself thoroughly and wrapped herself into a fluffy and clean towel. Stepping back into the living room made her nervous. What would happen next? Would he still be on the sofa, smoking and staring into the distance?

Her worries vanished when she found herself alone in the big room. Negaduck wasn’t in the basement either, so she made her way to the first floor. The door to the master bedroom was closed. For a second she considered knocking but then she remembered: a closed door was exactly that. 

A wave of loneliness crawled into the back of her head, the feeling that her fierce lover abandoned her. She pushed them aside and instead took the hair dryer from the upstairs bathroom and went into her room. 

When her hair was still a bit damp, she slid out of the towel and into the soft sheets of her bed. Her hand softly ran over his markings. The feathers would grow back but there might still be a faint scar in the future. If this night was an indicative sample, there were many more love bites and other types of pain to come. Exhaustion pushed back the new wave of arousal she felt, and Lily fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

In the early afternoon, the sun tickled Lily’s face through the ceiling window.  _ Stupid rich people roof,  _ Lily thought and pulled the blanket over her face. Then the memories of last night came back and so did the soreness of her muscles. Every inch of her body had been exposed to Negaduck’s rough lovemaking and the aftermath of this delicate pain prevented her brain from going back to sleep. 

She rummaged through the stack of washed laundry she had thrown aside weeks ago and put on a shirt and trousers. On her way down to the kitchen, she could already hear a familiar sound coming out of the basement. A feeling of uneasiness rushed through her. When she entered the open kitchen, a pot of lukewarm coffee sat on the counter. She grabbed it on her way downstairs. 

“You made me coffee? How sweet of you,“ Lily mocked as she entered the workshop. 

Negaduck looked up. He wore his black mask and a red tank top. Hopefully not the same one he had worn the past few days. 

“Actually, this one is mine,“ he started, but Lily pulled the cup out of his reach. 

“Well, not anymore, Negsy.“ She smiled at him and sat down at her work table to continue soldering microchips on the single-board computers. 

Lily heard a growling near her cheeks.“You are such a cocky little girl,“ Negaduck’s hands wandered from her shoulders to down her arms and hips. “I really need to teach you some manners, don‘t I?“ 

Lily turned around on her chair and smiled, pulling him into a kiss. 

20 minutes and a shower later, they finally got to work. Once again, their coordination was mostly wordless and yet they worked together as if they never had done anything else in their lives. 

“How long until you‘re done programming the chip, blondie?“ Negaduck asked into the silence. 

She answered without looking up from the computer. “About halfway done. Why? 

The masked mallard gave out a thoughtful sigh. “We still need to work on your skills. Combat and shooting. I wanna train you to use a sniper rifle. You know, just in case.“ 

Negaduck prepared several targets in the trees surrounding the mansion by jumping from one branch to another, only occasionally using his grappling hook. Lily couldn’t help but admire his almost bored expression as he danced over dangerous heights easily. When he landed next to her, Lily smirked at him. 

“Have you been in the circus or what?“ she asked. 

Negaduck shrugged. “Nope. I‘m just a natural talent, as usual.“ 

“Oh,  _ sure, _ you are,“ Lily replied when she took the rifle from him. 

“Alright, Barbie, just like I taught you. This one is just farther away.“ Negaduck said as he got close to her to steady her arms. His touch was so unusually soft that it bewildered Lily. 

“Focus!“ he shouted, his face next to hers, Lily winced at his sudden outburst. Then he continued in a soft, low voice. “You will be my eyes, looking out for every threat I can’t see. You’ll be my finger on the weapon, shielding me from danger.“ 

Lily blushed from his whispering tone. “Who should be a threat to the most dangerous man in the city?“ 

“Very good question. Let‘s find and eliminate them together. Now stop talking and start practicing.“ 

After two hours of shooting into the trees, Lily proved that she was able to learn quicker than Negaduck would have imagined. He still insisted on another combat training. 

“Your stamina is shit, you know that?“ Negaduck asked after landing another hard hit on her stomach. 

Lily was bending over, her hands on her knees, trying to breathe. “Give me a break! I’ve been smoking for 15 years!“ 

Negaduck raised his eyebrows. “So have I, and do you see me panting and sweating like a school boy peeking into the ladies’ locker room?“ 

“Oh, shut up!” Lily exclaimed, “You defy physics out of pure spite.“ 

Negaduck laughed as he paced around her. He stroked her back gently from her tail feathers to her head, and then pulled her back by her hair and bit into her shoulders. Lily moaned and her hand reached behind her. When she found what she was looking for, Negaduck groaned like a wild animal and shortly after, Lily found herself on the old sofa in the corner of their sparring room, her head banging against the hardened cushions. She didn’t notice. 

Afterwards, she got up and stretched before him. Negaduck watched her, breathing heavily. 

“Look who‘s out of breath now, old man,“ she smirked as she grabbed her clothes. 

“Shut your big beak, missy, or I‘ll do it again!“ he grinned. 

“What a delightful threat“ she said, walking out of the room. “Maybe later. I need to take a shower first.“

He waved at her dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. You and your cleaning fetish. What‘s the point of filling you up when you‘re just gonna wash it out?“ 

“So you can do it all again, of course!“ she answered from the hallway. 

After Lily stepped out of the bathroom, she made her way to the kitchen only to find the fridge almost empty. She walked over to the garage where Negaduck had a whole freezer full with microwave meals and frozen pizza. It was empty too. 

“Oh, by the way, we’re almost out of food.” Lily said when she entered the workshop.

Negaduck sighed. “Well, time to raid a supermarket, then.”

Lily looked at him in disbelief. “Raid? As in rob? Why?”

“You wanna starve?” He was clearly still incensed. 

“No, but you sit on this big pile of money. Why not just buy some stuff? It’s easier than alarming the authorities with such a minor crime.” 

Negaduck got up. Whenever the rage was too overwhelming, he was unable to sit still. 

“So you wanna play ‘happy family goes grocery shopping’?” He asked as he paced in front of her. 

“Why don’t we make our way into the city? This could be fun! Just take off your mask and-”

“NO CHANCE!” Negaduck shouted. “What do you think I am to you?! Your  _ boyfriend _ who takes you out into the city for a stroll?!” 

“Alright, geez! No need to scream!” Lily got up and went upstairs. All this time with him alone couldn’t be healthy. “I’m gonna take a car and buy some food. My treat.” 

“Fine, whatever!” he called after her as she left through the garage door. 

After buying what could be considered groceries for a relatively balanced diet, Lily texted Negaduck:  _ You‘re an asshole but since I‘m already out, I‘m going to get us a real treat. You‘re welcome.  _

His answer were three simple letters:  _ idc. _

_ You don‘t care? Stupid asshole! _ Lily thought when she drove into the parking lot of the Hamburger Hippo. Her eyes widened when she saw the tall red haired duck leaning on the counter. 

“Well, isn‘t that a coincidence?“ Lily exclaimed, „it really  _ is _ like they say, you always meet twice.“

The man smiled down at her. “If you‘re coming here regularly, you might meet me a third time even. I‘m always here.“ 

“You should watch your cholesterol then, and do some exercise to stay in shape,“ she laughed. 

The man grinned wider. “Oh don‘t worry, I get a lot of that. Exercise, I mean.“ He reached out a hand. “Launchpad.“ 

Lily startled. “Huh?“

“That‘s my name. Launchpad McQuack.“

“Oh! Interesting. Are your parents some kind of tech geeks? Well, I‘m Vanessa Heathland.“ She shook his hand.

Before she could order the burgers, a purple bike pulled over. 

“There you are! I told you to wait for me!“ a purple caped, masked mallard exclaimed. 

“Oh, gee, D.W., I was just getting some snacks. You said it was a quiet night.“ Launchpad answered. 

Before Lily could get a grasp of the situation, her phone vibrated. There was only one person who had her number. 

“What?“ Lily asked slightly annoyed. 

“What‘s taking you so long? I‘m hungry! What are you getting?“ Negaduck asked loudly. Lily was afraid his loud voice might be recognized throughout the telephone so she turned away from the other two mallards and the owner of the store, who looked very annoyed while waiting for her order. 

“It‘s a surprise, sweetheart,“ Lily answered. 

“I hate surprises!“ answered the voice at the other end, his voice even louder now. 

Lily rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, it‘s burgers. The best in town!“ she said with a wink to Launchpad. 

“Fine. But don‘t make them spicy! And hurry up!“ Negaduck yelled and hung up the phone. 

After Lily ordered, taking Negaduck‘s wish into account, she eavesdropped on the two mallards by pretending to be on her phone. 

“Yesterday with Tuskerninni, that was a  _ fight _ ! But now? Where is everyone?!” Darkwing cried out,banging his fists on the counter. The owner flashed him an angry glare.

Launchpad sighed. “Well, we could call it a night and go home, if you wish. I mean, it’s really frosty tonight.” 

Darkwing jumped up to his partner, pulling him down by the jacket. “Go home? Launchpad! If the night is quiet like this, that only means we have to look  _ harder _ . Do you think guys like Negaduck stay at home just because it’s a little chilly?” 

Lily had to suppress a laugh. _ Actually they do, complaining about food like a petty child _ , she thought to herself.

“Does he always complain this much?“ she asked, looking up to Launchpad. 

He snickered, “Well… the guy on the phone didn’t sound very nice either.“ 

Darkwing burst between them.  _ “Excuse me! _ We‘re in the middle of a conversation here!“ 

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we are. Why don‘t you let the grown ups talk and take your cape to the dry cleaner?“

Darkwing turned around, inspecting his cape vigorously. “What? Why? Is it stained? Launchpad!“

The tall duck gave him a pat on the back. “There‘s nothing. Don‘t worry, D.W.“

_ Oh, I see how it is, _ Lily thought,  _ that‘s interesting.  _

“Well, looks like we‘re both blessed with guys with similar tempers, eh? Lucky us!“ Lily laughed as she grabbed her order from the owner. “Alright, see you later, Launchpad and uh… what was your name again?“ 

Before he could answer, Lily closed the car door and started the motor. 

“Darkwing Duck! It‘s Darkwing Duck!“ she heard him yelling when she drove the car out of the parking lot. 

Later, after she had stored the groceries, Lily and Negaduck sat on the couch, enjoying their burgers and fries. Lily was absentmindedly typing on her notebook when Negaduck came closer, pulled her hair aside and started kissing her neck. His arms wandered between her legs but then he froze when he looked at the screen. 

“Are you looking at other guy‘s Tinder profiles while I go down on you?“ he exclaimed. 

“Huh?“ Lily only now noticing his wandering hands. “Oh, no. Well… first off, are you jealous? I wouldn‘t have taken you for a monogamous guy. And this guy is called Launchpad McQuack. What a stupid name, right? I met him today and guess who was with him?“

Negaduck’s beak widened into a grin. “Darkwing Duck.“

“Darkw- er, yeah,“ Lily said, perplexed. “How did you know?“

“Oh, sweetie,“ Negaduck answered, now pulling her towards him with a tight grip around her neck. “You will learn soon enough.“ 


	11. Chapter 11

Negaduck had been gone for almost three weeks and left Lily with instructions for a daily training routine. She also used his absence to do a little spring cleaning on the house. As she stood in the middle of the garden, feeling gentle rays of sunlight on her feathers, Lily realized how much time had passed. 

_ It’s February already? I missed Christmas _, she thought to herself. Growing up in an orphanage, holidays never meant much to her but since Susie was born, she enjoyed spending them with her found family. Her thoughts trailed farther off, hoping Marie and Susan would be safe when she heard a bike in the driveway. 

“Damn, the house looks almost like when I first moved in”, she heard Negaduck a short while later as he walked into the garden. 

He pulled her into a passionate kiss and after they parted again, he grinned at her. “I hope you missed me, babe.” 

She gave him a smirk. “Oh you know, a little bit. But I also enjoyed the quiet.” 

He laughed and then pushed her towards the living room. Two boxes were placed on the living room table.

“I brought you something. Open it up,” Negaduck demanded. 

Lily sat down and opened the first box. Six thick cigars were lying on a red pillow. 

Negaduck placed himself next to her. “Neat, eh? I _ acquired _ them from this rich asshole who thought he could give me orders. Each of them is worth a fortune.” 

“Why didn’t you sell them, then?” Lily asked with an astonished look. 

Negaduck shrugged. “Too much trouble. I just thought I might enjoy them with you instead. Now open the other one.”

Inside the second box, she found a tiny black revolver with golden ornaments on the handle and gun barrel. She picked it up and weighed the weapon in her hands, admiring the craftsmanship and seeing if it was loaded. 

“I figured for your dainty hands, you need something small and handy,” Negaduck said with a complacent smile. 

“I… uh...” Lily started, searching for words. She could feel herself blushing more than she wanted. “It’s wonderful! Thank you so much! That must have cost you a fortune.” 

Negaduck let out a laugh. “Babe, do you really think I ever paid for a single thing in my life?” 

Lily set aside the revolver and pulled Negaduck into a kiss. He replied by pushing her into the newly steam-cleaned cushions of the white sofa, losing his hat in the process.

“Look at you, spreading before me like a bi-” he started but Lily held his beak shut. 

“Don’t ruin it, sweetie,” she said and after licking her tongue, she worked her way down his neck and bit into his shoulder. Her fingers dug deeply into his bill, resulting in Negaduck groaning wildly. 

After the long break, their bodies had longed for one another like magnets. Their lovemaking was wild and messy, involving the unloaded revolver and other tools. 

+++

“You’re so much different than… er… others,” Negaduck panted when Lily came out of the bathroom. 

“Did you meet someone else, then? In those three weeks?” she asked and took the cigar off his hands, taking a deep puff. 

He glanced at her with a smirk. “Why? Are you jealous?”

Lily scoffed. “Nope, I was just wondering why the secrecy?” 

“Well, it’s good to know that at least one of you doesn’t give a fuck,” Negaduck answered. “He, on the other hand, can be very jealous. I’ve told him about you but it will take much more convincing before you two can meet. Believe me, he has killed some past lovers in a jealous rage.” 

“Charming,” Lily laughed. 

Negaduck shrugged. “He can be a handful, but he’s got a nice dick.” 

“Funny, that’s what I think about you too,” she snickered and handed him the cigar back. 

+++

After two more weeks of training, Lily found herself on the top floor of an empty building. She was in her leather pants and vest once again, the strap of a rifle wrapped around her chest, her revolver in a holster on her waist. 

“Boys,” Negaduck started, presenting her to the four men in front of her. “Meet our newest member, Lily.” 

She had expected them to be hostile towards her but they started greeting her excitedly. 

“What is your superpower?” Bushroot asked her politely. 

“Common sense, and I’m good with these,” Lily answered, pointing at her weapons.

With a glare to Quackerjack, he whispered, “I see. Well, that _ is _ a superpower.”

“Welcome to the team!” the Liquidator exclaimed and put an arm around her.

Instinctively, and because she didn’t want to get wet, Lily maneuvered herself out of his embrace only to notice that his watery skin had some sort of membrane to it. She touched his forearm and it felt like skin. He gave her a wink. 

“Wow,” she said as she saw her hand on the other side of his arm. “Oh, I’m sorry if I’m too close. I’m just curious.” 

“Oh no, it’s legitimate curiosity young lady. Don’t worry about it,” he grinned. 

An hour later, Lily had been welcomed as if she had always been a part of the group. These four most dangerous criminals in the city were as tame as well-behaved school boys and genuinely nice to her. 

“And I was so sure he would have shot you! Right, Sparky? I told him that girl is dead!” Quackerjack let out hysterical laughter. 

“I said, don’t call me Sparky!” Megavolt replied with a scratchy voice. 

“_ And I said _…” Negaduck shouted, “that I’m gonna explain the plan for tonight, so listen up, idiots!” 

After this night of crimes, Lily had manifested herself as the sixth and secret member of the Fearsome Five, scouting ahead on roofs and eliminating possible threats to their heists. Negaduck was pleased with her and even complimented her on her ruthlessness, killing a dozen men along the way. What he didn’t know was that Lily would secretly load the rifle with tranquilizer ammunition. She might have indulged into his ways of crime, but the murder of Harry Hoggert still lingered in the darkest parts of her mind and killing men was still a barrier she did not want to cross ever again.

+++

Weeks later, on a warm spring night, Lily and Negaduck were out in the city. Negaduck was not much of a team player so they were mostly alone. She was running on the roofs, jumping fearlessly over dangerous heights. Gone was the fear of falling to her death after all these months of training with Negaduck. Her stamina had improved vastly and every muscle in her body felt like steel. She was almost sad that her slightly chubby thighs and squishy belly were gone. 

“The cops are closing in on you on the left and I see the purple jet of our favorite hero approaching,” Lily said into her tiny headset. 

A low growl that sounded like a “fuck” was the answer. 

As Lily jumped into a more run down area of the town, she realized that the streets were looking more and more familiar. 

“I have an idea,” she said while sprinting towards a five floor building and letting herself down in a backstreet. “Meet me here.” With a tap on her newly-developed app, she sent her coordinates to the GPS in Negaduck’s bike. 

The loud roar of his machine emerged behind her minutes later. 

“What is this place?” he asked while pushing his bright red and yellow bike into the street corner. 

Lily covered the showy bike with a blanket she found - it had probably belonged to a homeless person. Then she knelt down, removed a loose stone from the side of the building and grabbed a key. 

“Aha,” she exclaimed and showed it to him proudly. “Follow me.” 

As they walked up the stairs to her apartment, Lily feared that after all these months of absence, all the dirt and mold she had accumulated became sentient and would attack her. But when she opened the door, and turned on the light, she found it messy, but clean. 

“Charming,” Negaduck said as he picked up a bra that was scattered on the floor along with other laundry. 

“Well, you can get back out there, if you want,” Lily answered, snatching the bra from him and then closing the shutters.

Negaduck shoved some magazines off the sofa and sat down. “So this is how you lived before? Pretty rough neighborhood.” 

Lily gave him a glass of water - the only thing available since her fridge was completely empty - and got down on her knees next to him.

“I can manage, but it’s so cute that you worry about me,” she mocked him. 

He scoffed but his face turned into a smug smile when she started kissing her way up from his kneecaps to his hips, gently stroking the plumage between his legs. His head tilted back in a deep moan when her searching fingers found their quickly swelling target when suddenly a loud bang on the door interrupted them. 

“Who’s in there?! Open the door, asshole!” a deep voice shouted. “If you dare to take one thing with your sticky little fingers, I will _ cut them off! _” 

Lily jumped to her feet and opened the door. The Boss towered over her, gasping loudly when she greeted him with a big smile. He pulled her into a tight hug and Lily’s eyes filled with tears. 

“Where were you? I thought you were dead!” he asked, gently lifting up her beak and looking into her watery eyes. “Oh, sister, look at you! You are so thin! What happened to you?” 

“I will explain everything. Follow me” Lily took his hand and led him to the living room. Negaduck, once again fully composed, still sat on the sofa with a bored look. 

“Who is that, sister?” The Boss asked her. He took a closer look and took two steps backwards. “Wait a minute! I know this guy!” 

Negaduck got up and laughed. “You two don’t look like brother and sister. Is this some kind of kink thing?” 

“Shut up,” Lily exclaimed. “This is eh… my former boss. I worked for him, but more than that, he gave me a family. Boss you guessed right. Meet Negaduck.” 

“No,” the Boss answered, “this is not some family gathering. You disappeared for months! We thought you died! We mourned you, Lily! And now you come back here with this dangerous man?!” 

“If you thought I was dead, then why is my apartment almost like I left it?” Lily scoffed. 

“I wanted to preserve it! I had hoped you would come back to us!” the Boss started shouting.

Negaduck laughed loudly. “For a big guy like you, you sure are a whiny bitch.”

“What did you just say, ducky?” The Boss pulled out a knife from his pocket. 

Negaduck took the gun out from inside of his cape. “I said, you’re a whiny bitch who just showed up with a knife to a gunfight.” 

“You think I’m afraid of you, you masked freak? I don’t need a gun to break a stick figure like you,” the Boss growled.

“Ha!” Negaduck let out, “I killed bigger guys than you when I was still a boy. Bring it on, buddy.” 

“STOP!” Lily stepped between them. “Are we all done flexing now? Good. Put away your weapons, BOTH OF YOU!”

“Lily,” the Boss started, “I’m so happy to have you back. After everything with Marie and Susan, Diego left and our family is falling apart. I’m so glad you’re home.” 

Lily looked down. “I uh… I didn’t plan on staying here, Ro-” She almost said his name but at that moment, Negaduck put his arms around her. 

“She’s staying with me, doggy boy! We’re just crashing here for the night.” He grinned. 

The Boss pulled Lily away from him. “Shut up! Let me talk to my sister.” 

Negaduck put his hands in the air and scoffed.

“Lily, tell me. You don’t wanna stay with this psycho, right? I’ve heard things about him. If only half of it is true, then he’s dangerous. He will drag you down with him.” He frowned.

“I’ve been with him for months and I’m fine, aren’t I? Why do you never have any confidence in what I can achieve?” She took a step back from him. 

“That’s not what I mean! I just wanna have you lay low, play it safe and-”

“And sell drugs to rich kids for the rest of my life? With tea parties every Sunday afternoon in that rotting shack you call a house?” Lily yelled. 

“Why are you being so aggressive?” the Boss asked, glaring at Negaduck. “I can already see that his influence is bad for you.”

“Oh, thanks, _ dad _ ! I am so sick of you trying to control every aspect of everyone’s life. You think you know it better than anyone but _ you don’t _!” Lily shouted, tears of anger running down her cheeks. 

“Fine,” the Boss said calmly, “alright. No need for me to pay for this apartment then. You’ve made your choice, then live with it. I want you gone by tomorrow. If not, it’s duck hunting season. Don’t you ever dare to show your face around here.” 

After that, he stormed out of the door and smashed it closed. Lily stood with her back to Negaduck and started sobbing.

“Oh, you’re not crying right now, are you?” Negaduck mocked her. Lily turned around, her eyes red and watery, and he let out hysterical laughter. 

She went into her bedroom without another word and cried herself into a restless sleep on the stuffy cushions. 

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

Days later, Lily found herself spread out on the huge round bed in the master bedroom. Negaduck sat next to her, smoking a cigarette and staring out of the window. 

She had tricked him into letting her into his room with a playful chase through the house. It was a huge hexagonal shape with windows almost throughout the entire wall and on the ceiling. The bed stood in the middle on a podium and the walls that were not glass made a built-in closet. 

“Well, now I know why you always keep this door closed. To let a room like this run wild like you did,” Lily said pointing at the dirt and clutter all around her. 

He smiled absentmindedly without looking at her.

When Lily got back from the bathroom, the door to the master bedroom was closed again, maybe even locked. She was tempted to push down the handle but remembered his rule: when a door is closed, don’t enter.  _ Maybe I said something wrong?  _ she thought to herself as waves of sadness ran through her body. In her own bedroom, Lily overanalyzed every interaction leading to him shutting the door and was unable to fall asleep for several hours as a result.

The next day, Lily woke up relatively early only to hear the familiar noises from the basement. She searched her backpack for a small bag she took from her old apartment and went downstairs. 

“Well well well, look who’s finally awake. You sleep more than a cat, you know that?” Negaduck said when she entered their workshop. 

“What do you know about cats?” she asked, hiding the tiny bag behind her back.

He didn’t answer but tried to take a glimpse of what she was hiding. 

“When we left my old apartment, I found something we might enjoy,” Lily winked at him. 

“Another strap-on?” 

Lily laughed and showed him the tiny bag. “More like some of my old merchandise.” 

“Is that pot?” Negaduck’s eyes widened. 

She winked and nodded to him to follow her upstairs. 

+++

They both consumed more than enough  to bake 3 cakes with enough left over for frosting  and after eating their way through the pantry and wild lovemaking, they were naked on the couch again. 

Lily cuddled up on the soft cushions when something that she would never have expected happened. Negaduck pulled his arms around her and kissed her. But not a fierce and almost violent one like usual. His beak gently touched hers and when she opened her mouth, his tongue was almost shy. She let out a deep sigh when they parted again. She was still in his embrace, for the first time in all those months. 

“You are a goddess, you know that?” he whispered next to her head, “I’m gonna give you the world on a gold plate.” 

Lily smiled and pressed herself closer to his chest. 

“Why do you always close the door?” She asked. 

“Huh? Oh you mean the bedroom? Old habit.” His raspy voice was calm and soft. When she gave him a puzzled look, he continued, “Where I grew up, if you would keep your door open, you would find yourself in a puddle of your own blood - or worse.”

She gave him a concerned look. “That’s horrible. Didn’t your parents do anything?”

“Ha!” Negaduck laughed bitterly. “They were the ones who sold me to this shithole.” 

Lily looked up. His face was relaxed but his eyes were burning with rage. She gently caressed his chest to calm him. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” 

Negaduck shrugged. “Well, it was a fighting pit where old men watch young boys beat each other up, sometimes to death. My parents sold me there a few days after I hatched to buy booze and drugs. They never even gave me a name. For the first 17 years of my life, I was just called ‘boy.’ 

“Oh, don’t look so sad now, babe, I got back to my family eventually. After fighting my way out of the pit and up the ladder in the crime scene, I visited them. They were not easy to find, given that I didn’t even know my own name. Well, back then I was already known as Negaduck but that’s another story. Where was I? Oh yeah, I found their house. They had a nice old house, completely run down and leaking, but still better than a cell in an underground bunker. So anyway, I found them and a nice rusty chainsaw in the garage. I took it and introduced myself. They didn’t even remember. Until I made them. I sliced them up slowly, one by one. I don’t remember how long it took them to die. Might have been hours or days.” 

Lily started to shiver. His voice did not change at all, he was telling this gruesome story as if he would talk about what groceries to buy. 

He looked down at her and smiled. Not his usual grinning but an honest smile that made her even more afraid of him than she ever was before. 

“Where did all this happen?” Lily asked, trying to calm her shaking voice. 

“Huh? Oh, in St. Canard of course, the most rotten place on earth.” His eyes were falling shut. 

Lily wanted to ask one more question, now that the pot seemed to work like a truth serum on him. “And why do you look, sound and dress like Darkwing Duck?” 

Negaduck sighed, his eyes now closed. “That’s easy. I  _ am _ him. I’m from another dimension but we’re the same. Only I look better of course.” With one last cocky smile he fell asleep. 

_ Oh, now he’s just talking bullshit _ , Lily thought when she pressed herself even closer to him, the weight of his arms resting on her. 

Memories she had long suppressed filled her mind. Memories of her hiding in the closet while Jason searched for her. Memories of him and his boys laughing when they found her and pulled her out and onto the bed. Memories of him telling her she could either join in or not, they would have their fun either way. She started to shiver as hot tears ran down her beak, wetting Negaduck’s chest plumage. His slow breathing calmed her as she cried out her past, wishing he was awake and would listen to her, hold her tight and tell her she’s safe now. She fell asleep dreaming of a huge bull who might have been Jason, chasing her down an endless hallway. 

Lily woke up alone, the sun had already set. After a brief moment of disorientation, she recognized that the shower was running. Realizing that she forgot to shower after their drug infused lovemaking, she went into the bathroom to surprise Negaduck. 

When she entered, she saw his mask on the counter. _ I didn’t think he would take it off _ , she thought when Negaduck turned around in the shower, his eyes widening. His face looked so different without the mask, like a completely different person. The vulnerable look in his eyes quickly turned into anger. Instead of fleeing the room, Lily stepped into the shower. 

Negaduck looked at her, water running down his face, the wrath in his look made her knees weak. 

“Hey,” Lily smiled softly and reached out to touch his chest. 

He grabbed her hand midway and used it to turn her around violently and push her against the shower wall, her face hitting the cold tiles. His hands wandered down her body and she felt her fear turn into arousal. 

“Negaduck, I- ” Lily started but he pushed her face harder onto the tiles. 

“Shut up!” he shouted as his grip on her arm strengthened. 

Minutes later, her head was banging against the hard stone and in the end, she found herself kneeling before him, his seed running down her face and chest. 

He lifted her head by the beak and stared at her. Water got into her eyes and she started blinking and tearing up from it. He scoffed one last time, pushing her head aside and stepping out of the shower. Negaduck grabbed a towel and his mask and left the bathroom. 

Lily sighed once again.  _ Well, maybe I shouldn’t have done that _ , she thought, washing her sore body,  _ but at least I got something out of it.  _ When she got out of the bathroom, Negaduck was gone. Later that night, she saw his face all over the news. The news anchor proclaimed, “ _ Negaduck, criminal mastermind and leader of the Fearsome Five, has been captured by the authorities.” _


	13. Chapter 13

“Well, I don’t see why we should help him,” Bushroot said for the fourth time. “He never busted any of us out of jail.” 

Lily had asked the other four members of their group to meet in the empty house once again. Negaduck was being transported to a high security prison in two days and they were discussing how to free him for hours now.

“Yeah, exactly! He’s always so mean to us and never stays to play!” Quackerjack exclaimed. 

Lily frowned. “Guys, please. Just work with me here and focus okay?” 

“I have another proposition to make,” the Liquidator said. “Maybe we just need to reform under new leadership!”

“I hope you don’t want to promote yourself here! I’m not gonna dance around in a fish costume!” Megavolt answered. 

_ “Au contraire, _ my sparkly friend,” the Liquidator winked, “I’m thinking about someone with an actual brain for making plans, who has helped all of us in the past with either escaping the cops or making sure they don’t even show up. Someone who has spent time and effort to get to know our strengths and weaknesses...like  _ you _ , Lily.” 

“Huh?!” Lily’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about? I could never… that would be like betraying Negadu-” 

“Oh, so what?!” Megavolt interrupted her. “It’s not like Negaduck would mind. He made it clear he hates us and only shows up when we’re useful to him.” He rubbed his hands together, sparks forming between them. “Let him rot in prison while we take over the city.”

Bushroot nodded. “Yeah, he will see what we can do with a  _ real _ leader! And it’s true, Lily, you helped all of us out multiple times and you don’t just flee the scene once the gig is over. You stay and spend time with us. And you never call us degenerates, retards, or anything.” 

“And you played with my exploding toy cars with me!” Quackerjack said excitedly. 

Lily laughed. “And I still have some blisters on my hands, thank you very much.” 

“So,” the Liquidator grinned, “what do you say?”

Lily considered her options for a second before answering. Leading a group of powerful mutants who were as tame as newborn kittens was tempting. This time, she would be the one making the rules, the one who has the upper hand. And yet Lily still felt guilty for what happened between her and Negaduck. “I say, you four are going to cause problems on four opposite sides of the town while I get Negaduck out of this transporter.”

The other four frowned and exchanged looks. 

“Come on, guys, please do this for me and I’ll owe you one. As long as it doesn’t include exploding toys.” Lily gave them her brightest smile. 

That night, Lily was unable to fall asleep.  _ It’s my fault that he’s been captured _ , she thought over and over again,  _ if only I had respected his boundaries! _ She couldn’t stop the tears when she thought of the look on his face again. This pure rage when she entered the bathroom.  _ He said he had one rule, you stupid idiot! _ she scolded herself,  _ now he will never open up to me again! _

Rolling to the other side of her bed, she thought about the idea of leading the Fearsome Five. Yes, the others were in desperate need of leadership to bring order to their chaotic ways and yes, Lily had helped them with their heists whenever Negaduck was gone for weeks, but that didn’t mean she could lead the whole group. She remembered times when Negaduck would spell out his plans and she told him how to adjust or refine them, but she never came up with any ideas herself. The silence in the big house was never as unbearable as in this moment so she picked up her laptop and distracted herself with DuckTube videos until she fell into a restless sleep. 

+++

Two nights later, Lily jumped over the rooftops, tranquilizing the scouts that were positioned there, when she heard a loud explosion in the distance.  _ At least Quackerjack is working properly on his part _ , she chuckled to herself as she made her way to the blocked-out street. A huge water fountain emerged in the bay of St. Canard and with no minor satisfaction, Lily saw a purple jet heading there. 

When she jumped on another roof, she was shocked to see a purple caped figure standing there watching the street and mumbling to himself. Quickly, she went into hiding behind the wall leading to the staircase. She couldn’t quite figure out what he was saying but it sounded like “too convenient.”

_ Shit, what now? _ Lily thought to herself and then checked the ammunition in her revolver, it was loaded with tranquilizer darts. A shot from such a short distance would still hurt and could injure him severely. She was glad she decided to wear a hooded jacket that night, as she stuffed her braid inside a beanie and pulled the hood over her head. 

Darkwing turned around with an alarmed look on his face when she tried to sneak up on him. She hit him in the beak before he could act. 

“Ow, what the…” he shouted through the pain when she punched him in the belly and watched him go down. With one last kick in his face, he was unconscious. 

“Sorry, buddy,” she said, searching him for a wallet. She did find one but there was no ID or anything else that would give a hint to his identity. 

“Only 25 dollars?! Urgh, keep it,” Lily scoffed when she put the thin leather wallet back into the pocket of his coat. She took a long look at his face.  _ Up close, they look even more alike, almost like twins _ , Lily thought, _ it’s really scary _ . Wild theories of him and Negaduck being twins and their parents only selling one boy formed in her head when a vibrating phone interrupted her thoughts. Lily pulled the phone out of Darkwing’s jacket and a text from Launchpad appeared on the screen:

_ “Looks like Liquidator’s putting on a water show, but that’s about all he’s doing. No real danger, how are things on your end?” _

The phone was locked behind a password but she could still answer the text by tapping on it.  _ I really hope this guy doesn’t have a very unique style of texting, _ Lily thought as she typed: 

_ All silent. Keep heading east to check what caused the explosion. _

Seconds later a thumbs up emoji appeared and Lily put the phone back into the coat. 

She knelt down and used the scope of her rifle to check the other roofs across the street. Three policemen with machine guns in their hands were fixated on the empty street below. They could have easily spotted what happened with Darkwing, and Lily scolded herself for being so careless. 

_ Nothing but the quality work you’d expect from the overworked and underpaid police officers of the S.C.P.D. _ , she grinned as she sent all three of them to sleep successively.

A heavy armored truck rolled into the street and right into the metal claws Lily had spread there earlier. When two cops emerged from the car, she let out an audible laugh.  _ This is almost too easy _ , she thought while she shot the two men, aiming for a loophole in their armored suits. While they were falling unconscious, she let herself down onto the street with a grappling hook and snuck up to the truck. She used the handle of her rifle to knock on the door three times before hiding on the side. 

“What’s going on?!” yelled a deep voice and she could hear Negaduck laugh maniacally when someone opened the door. As soon as the person emerged, Lily was glad to see naked tiger paws from under the door. She already felt bad for probably breaking this man’s toe when she shot him in the foot. 

“The coast is clear,” Negaduck shouted from inside the truck. Lily stepped in front of the door and found her lover grinning at her. His mask was still on but other than that he was inside a straightjacket and tied up with chains to the truck.

“I knew you would get me out, babe!” he said when she picked up the key from the policemen and unchained Negaduck. 

“So you’re not mad at me?” she asked shyly. 

“Huh? Oh, that! Nah, all is well,” he answered and once he was free, kissed her fiercely. 

When they stepped outside he inspected the unconscious policeman. “What the heck is that?!” Negaduck asked with brooding anger under his soft voice, pointing at the tranquilizing dart in the man’s mangled toe. 

“Oh uhm… well, you know. I couldn’t just kill a bunch of cops,” she giggled nervously. 

Negaduck took the weapon off the police guards holster and shot him in the face before Lily could react. 

Her heart skipped a beat and her whole body was shaking. Her knees didn’t want to support her anymore, so she had to lean against the truck to hold herself up, breathing heavily through her nostrils until they were too clogged and she started taking in short and heavy breaths with her mouth. 

She thought she might pass out until Negaduck walked around the truck pointed the gun at one of the two guys in the front. Lily rushed after him and pulled at his arm. 

“Stop! What are you doing?!” she shouted. 

“What you couldn’t,” he answered coldly, then pushed her aside and shot the man. “Dammit, Lily! Did you even shoot anyone? All these months, did you always use tranquilizers?!” 

The way he shouted at her made Lily shiver. 

“Answer me!” Negaduck yelled and smashed the window of the truck with the handle of the pistol. 

Lily watched the blood running where tiny glass shards pierced into his arm. She shook her head. He took out the shards and with the biggest one still in his hand, he walked over to the third cop. He lifted the face mask, revealing a dog in his early twenties. 

“Poor boy,” Negaduck grinned as he slit the young man’s neck from ear to ear. He must have cut deeply because blood was splattering out of the young man like a fountain. He had opened his eyes in shock and his body jolted several times while he choked on his own blood. Lily had to fight the urge to cry and throw up. Negaduck got up, blood all over his body. He took her face gently into his hands but the look in his eyes was cold. 

“Now, babe,” his rasping voice whispered as he caressed her cheeks and beak, spreading the warm liquid deliberately on her face, “what’s your escape plan?” 

“F- follow me,” Lily stuttered, leading him into a backstreet a few steps down the street. 

She gave him a backpack she’d hid in a trash can and while Negaduck put on the trenchcoat and hat, Lily uncovered a black bike. 

“Huh? That’s not mine,” Negaduck looked puzzled. 

“No, it’s my old machine. I found it in the Boss’ garage and took it. He’s probably furious now,” Lily shrugged with forced ease. 

Once they were back home, Lily rushed into the upstairs bathroom. She stepped into the shower and washed away the blood from her face.  _ He had his whole life ahead of him _ , she thought while hot tears mixed with the rest of his blood, running down her body and into the drain.  _ This is not fair! He shouldn’t have died! _ she screamed in her head and smashed her fists against the bricks. Giving out an audible scream, Lily fell to her knees and cried herself to exhaustion as the last remnants of blood disappeared. 

Now it was her turn to lock the bedroom door behind her. Negaduck was still on the first floor. She could hear the TV running when she walked through the hallway. While tucked into her comfortable bed, she was unable to fall asleep with the image of the young man’s face lingering in her mind. “I’m sorry,” Lily whispered, tearing up again. She thought of the future this boy would have had, mercilessly taken from him by her lover. Her mind was running in circles until she fell into a restless sleep. 


	14. Chapter 14

For three days Lily had avoided Negaduck. She waited for him to either walk past her door into his bedroom or waited to hear the familiar construction side noises from the basement. After the sound of a door falling shut, she waited a few more minutes before sneaking out of her room, her revolver in a holster around her waist. 

When she took the last stairs down, she saw Negaduck sitting in the kitchen in front of a bowl of cereal. For a second, she wondered if the milk had gone sour but looking into his eyes brought her back into reality. 

Negaduck raised his right arm and instinctively Lily grabbed her gun. He pushed a button he had sloppily soldered onto a board, and Lily heard the sound of the master bedroom door closing on the second floor. He grinned at her and Lily relaxed a bit. 

“Neat, eh? I noticed you were sneaking around the house like a stray cat, so I made this little device. Oh, not so unrelated sidenote, some of the speakers in the stereo are gone now.” His face turned into an even more triumphant smile. 

Lily slowly approached the kitchen counter, not taking her eyes off him. “That’s a nice trick. You know, building this whole device instead of, I don’t know… knocking?” 

He shrugged. “It’s more fun this way.” 

The menacing look in his eyes had softened again and Lily started questioning if she had overreacted when the image of the young police officer’s gruesome death reappeared in her mind. She lost her appetite with that and sighed.  _ No, don’t be stupid! _ , she scolded herself,  _ I’m not crazy, he is!  _

Negaduck got up and slowly walked around the counter. When he approached her, she stiffened and started to shiver. Like three nights before, he took her face into his hands, gently pushing her beak up with his fingers. 

“Babe,” he whispered softly. “I know things were a bit heated back then and we both did some stuff the other doesn’t really approve of. But that doesn’t mean you have to act up like this.” 

He gave her a gentle peck on the beak. “I didn’t know you were such a  _ delicate flower _ , Lily. I thought I knew you, how you tick. And yes, I was disappointed in you...but I’m not mad.” 

_ Well, I am! _ Lily wanted to scream but instead she just nodded. Negaduck picked her up and sat her down on the kitchen counter. She wanted to push him away when he started opening the buttons of her blouse but she wrapped her arms around him, moaning when he started kissing his way down her neck. 

“Nothing will change between us, babe,” Negaduck growled. “Me and you… you belong to  _ me _ and you know that. Now let me do something good for you to help you relax.” 

Lily let out a loud gasp, when his beak finally reached its final destination. He pulled her hips forward by the legs. Her upper body landed roughly on the counter and she wrapped her legs around his neck. 

+++

Later, they both sat next to each other on the kitchen floor, eating half-frozen cake and smoking cigarettes. Forgotten was her initial fear when her body had responded to his touch. 

Lily pressed the cigarette stump into the cake wrapping and sighed.  _ God, I’m so pathetic!  _ she scolded herself.  _ One smile and I spread wide open on the fucking counter like a fancy dinner! Pack your stuff and leave this crazy man, and this fucking city.  _ Instead, she smiled at him and licked frosting off her fingers seductively. She was far beyond the point of thinking she could tame him, change him even, and yet he always managed to draw her in closer.  _ Maybe I’m as rotten as he is _ , she sighed. 

“Are you done with the drama now?” Negaduck chuckled, while grabbing another chunk of cake with his free hand. 

“Yeah, sure,” she answered a bit too quickly. “So, I was wondering if I would meet your ‘side hustle’ back there. I mean, if he’s as possessive as you say, wouldn’t he be there to get you out?”

Negaduck laughed. “Side hustle? He would  _ kill _ you if he heard that! But anyway, he had no way of knowing. If he had, he would have gunned down the entire police department to get me out as soon as possible.” 

Lily chose to ignore his mocking. “Doesn’t he get lonely if he’s so devoted to you?”

“Oh, I don’t know, he’s not much of a brainiac. Plus I got him this girl-” 

“Girl?!” Lily interrupted him. “I hope it’s consensual!” 

Negaduck scoffed. “Well, yeah, she wanted to come with us and he was eager to help her. Like a fucking knight in shining armor.” 

Lily relaxed. If what he said was true, then whoever this man was, at least he wasn’t a rapist. But still another question lingered. “And what about you?” 

“What about me? Oh, you mean with her? I really couldn’t care less if she’s there or not. Most of the time she’s a sneaky cat like you and she doesn’t talk much. I think she’s retarded or something. But these two really stick together. Maybe I should be jealous?” He laughed. “Anyway, about our next gig…” 

Lily felt her heart racing. “Shouldn’t you uh… sit still for a while? Let the storm pass? I mean you’re the most wanted criminal, ‘kill on sight’ they said on the police website.” Lily decided to not tell him that she hacked into the police data system to look up the names of the killed police men, especially the young man. 

“So?” Negaduck grinned, “I can handle a target on my back. Makes things more interesting.”

When Lily sighed audibly, Negaduck frowned. “Alright, alright! For once, we do things your way! I wanted to finish our little project soon anyway. But I need you to run an errand or two for me.” 

Mustering her brightest fake smile, Lily turned to him. “Deal. What do you need?”

“So, there’s this electronics store in the basement of the Riverside Mall, but don’t rob him! He’s a good guy. You just tell him I sent you and he’ll give you the stuff for free. We have this little erm… arrangement, you could say. I sometimes take care of his competition with a little arson,” he told her proudly. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, I’ll make you a list. And pick up some more of this cake, it’s delicious.”

Later, Lily sat in one of the expensive cars and drove into the city.  _ I should have taken my stuff and left for good _ , she thought.  _ Would he even let me go? Or would he send his lap dog to hunt me down?  _ She turned on the radio to distract herself when she heard a news reporter talking about Negaduck’s jailbreak. With a deep sigh, she turned it off again and focused on driving. 

At the next red light, she glimpsed at the piece of paper again. Negaduck’s handwriting was barely readable even though he wrote in all caps. He had skipped over several vowels, and Lily wondered if he just forgot them or if the process of writing out individual letters was too time consuming for him. 

Lily parked the car a few streets away from the mall to avoid the parking fees and strolled through the shops. For the first time in months, she was out in the city, alone and without committing any crime. It felt nice to at least pose as an honest citizen. 

She treated herself to the first freshly-cooked meal since she moved in with Negaduck and even enjoyed the side salad. For dessert, she went down the food court to try a new ice cream shop with flavors only hipsters could come up with. 

After that, she went to the electronics store. In comparison to the new and fancy boutiques all around, it seemed unremarkable. When she entered, an elderly pelican greeted her with a wide grin. 

“How can I help you, young lady?” He smiled at her. 

“Negaduck sent me,” Lily whispered, expecting the man’s smile to disappear but it remained as warm as before. “He’s made a list, there you go.” 

The owner quickly read it and nodded. “Just a second, miss.” When he disappeared into the backstore, Lily looked around. The assortment was really impressive, she made a mental note to remember this place. 

A few minutes later, the man emerged again and held out a brown paper bag for her. “There you go, and give Negaduck my regards.” 

Lily nodded, and in the moment she wanted to open the door, it flew open and a man and a red-haired girl stood in the door. Lily had to stop abruptly to not walk into them. 

“No, Gosalyn, you can’t taste every single new flavor!” the man shouted at the girl. 

“But daaaad…” whined the girl as she made a face and pulled on her pigtails. “We’re almost never at this mall!”

“Um, excuse me?” Lily asked. When she looked at the man’s face, she froze. For a second, she thought it might have been Negaduck, but when his face softened into a warm smile, he looked completely different. 

“Oh, sorry! Gosalyn, we’re blocking the door.” He gently pushed his daughter aside and held the door open for Lily. She looked over her shoulder once again but they had disappeared into the shop. 

_ Why did this guy look so familiar? _ Lily asked herself when she walked down the street.  _ I can’t quite place his face. _

“What the fuck?!” Lily yelled when she reached the now empty spot where she had parked the car. She knew this was not the best neighborhood but she never would have expected someone would steal a car in broad daylight. 

She took out her phone and called Negaduck. 

She heard his voice after a few seconds. “What?” He sounded absent minded. 

“So uh… can you pick me up? The car got stolen.” Lily had to chuckle at this absurd situation.

After a pause, Negaduck laughed too. “Alright, keep clear of the top floor.” he answered, and hung up. 

“What? Top floor?” Lily said, realizing too late that he couldn’t hear her anymore. She quickly texted him: 

_ I meant pick me up with another car! Please don’t make a scene! _

The little dot behind his name turned blue, meaning he must have looked at the message but decided not to answer. 

Sighing deeply, she went back into the mall and waited. She sat on a bench near the fountain on the first floor, checking the clock constantly. _He is Negaduck, after all, so expecting him to be sneaky and reasonable is out of the question_, she thought. 

Minutes later, she heard a loud bang that sounded like someone parking his jet on a glass roof that doesn’t support the weight. She turned around to see exactly that happening. When the jet crashed into the store beneath it, Lily was relieved to see that it was empty due to previous water damage, which might have been caused by a good friend of hers. 

Panic broke out in the mall and as people stormed down the stairs and escalators, Lily fought her way up. Then she stopped midway when she saw a blue cloud appearing next to the jet. She heard Darkwing reciting the beginning of his introduction when she got caught in another wave of people storming down. When she was finally next to the store, she stared at the two mallards. They didn’t seem to notice her yet. 

“Out for a little shopping tour, are we, Negaduck?” Darkwing smirked. “Isn’t it nice to calm down after a good  _ murder _ ?!” 

“Urgh, not you too!” Negaduck stood on the metal beak of his jet and rolled his eyes. He caught sight of Lily and shouted, “There you are! Come on and get in!” 

Lily was furious. She saw Darkwing looking back and forth at them. He jumped at her and she stepped aside at the last minute. 

“Nice to meet you again. I wouldn’t have guessed you were a woman by the punch you pack,” he smiled viciously when he tried to kick her off her feet. 

“Oh, what can I say?” Lily replied when she jumped to dodge his attack. “Your face is just too pretty not to smack.” She faked another hit in his beak and actually kicked him into the stomach. 

“Lily!” Negaduck yelled behind them, “Stop dancing around and move your ass!”

She looked at Darkwing who despite gasping for air must have heard that. 

“Another one so you won’t forget me, sweetie.” She hit him in the face again and at that moment she saw the tall red-haired man running up the stairs screaming, “D.W.!” 

Negaduck reached out his hand to help her up and she used the momentum to smack him in the face too. 

“What the fuck?!” he shouted when they climbed into the jet. 

“Just start this fucking thing!” Lily exclaimed. 

Once they were in the air and the silence between them was getting too intense, Lily faced Negaduck. “I can’t believe you said that!” 

“Said what?!” he snapped back at her.

“My name! Thanks to you, that purple-caped idiot now knows my face and first name!” 

Negaduck scoffed. “So what? I bet he-” 

“Shut up! I’m not done yelling!” To her surprise he remained silent. “I said, don’t make a scene! I said just pick me up with a car! And what did you do? Huh?! Will your ego allow any subtlety? Or are you just so full of yourself that you don’t care for anything else? Urgh, I can’t believe you did this!” 

He turned to her and smiled. “Now she’s back. My fearsome little duckling, not this moping lump that lurked around the house.” 

His hands wandered to her thigh. With a swift motion, she pushed it away. 

“Just fly this fucking thing, okay?” she frowned. 

Her mind wandered back to her encounter with Darkwing Duck. This was too dangerous for her, too close. How did he even get there this fast? She closed her eyes and his face appeared in her memory and wandered off to earlier events of the day. She remembered the father and his daughter and suddenly she saw the full picture. 

“Oh, my god!” Lily yelped. 

The jet made a turn to the side when Negaduck jumped. “What?! Do you want to give me a heart attack?!”

Lily’s heart and mind began to race. She remembered the young man who had lost his life because of her and then she remembered the little girl with Darkwing.  _ He has a kid _ , she thought, _ that probably wouldn’t stop Negaduck. _

“Uhm… I just remembered that I had the cake in the car.” She let out a forced laugh. 

Negaduck lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, well...that’s unfortunate.” 


	15. Chapter 15

Lily looked into the mirror again. She wore a pink dress with polka dots and had her hair tied in a neat bun with strands of hair deliberately falling to the side of her head. She picked up the fake glasses and nodded to her mirror image._ Looking good, for a country girl virgin at least, _ she chuckled and went downstairs. 

When Negaduck saw her, he burst into laughter. “What the hell is that outfit?”

“Well,” she started, “since _ someone _ let my name slip to a certain masked vigilante last week, I have to be more careful. This is an alter-ego of mine. She’s quite useful when I go out.” 

He rolled his eyes. “And where are you going? We have everything we need here. There’s no need to get out.”

“Don’t be so clingy, I’m just going out!” _ And away from you_, Lily added in her mind. 

“Alright, just try not to get another car stolen. There are only eight left.” He waved at her dismissively and turned back to his laptop screen. 

When Lily drove into the St. Canard city center, she felt her body relax. She had gripped the steering wheel firmly before and now the tension released itself from her sore fingers. 

What she didn’t tell Negaduck was that she was secretly looking for a new flat, somewhere he wouldn’t find her. The huge city center would be the perfect place to disappear into the crowd. She still had enough money left from selling Harry Hoggart’s information to pay the rent for a few months and readjust herself. But even with all the counterfeit documents, she would never have thought that it would be so hard to find a suitable flat. The competition was brutal and after her fourth apartment tour, she wandered the streets aimlessly to walk off her frustration. 

When she checked her phone to find her car, a familiar voice softly spoke behind her. 

“All alone today?” Darkwing Duck asked and grabbed her wrists before Lily could react. “Where’s your murder buddy?” 

“Oh fuck, you fucking-” Lily tried to struggle herself out of his surprisingly tight grip. She saw Launchpad leaning on the wall further down. 

“Watch your language, there are kids on the streets this time of day,” the purple caped mallard chuckled when he put handcuffs around her arms. “Now you can either come with us quietly or make a scene, but this time I’m prepared for you.” He must have made a sign to his tall companion because Launchpad walked towards them. 

“Urgh, you two have some nerve using your sex toys on me!” Lily snapped in furious rage. 

“Huh?!” Darkwing exclaimed, turning her around so Launchpad could grip her wrists. The look on his face was bewildered and almost shy. 

He searched her bag and pulled out her wallet and checked the ID. 

“Hey, that’s private! How dare you rummage in a woman’s bag, you filthy bastard!” Lily yelled. She tried to kick him but Launchpad held her tight. 

Darkwing gave her a look. “Well, I guess that makes us even.” 

He took the glasses off her face and inspected them. “I knew it. You’re as fake as this ID, _ Vanessa_. I’m gonna get the Ratcatcher. Launchpad, make sure she doesn’t run away, and watch her feet. She can kick your innards out with them.” 

“Gotcha, D.W.,” Launchpad nodded. “I’m really sorry it had to come to this,” he added softly to Lily. “I hope I don’t hurt you.”

Lily couldn’t help but laugh. “Aw, aren’t you a softie, big guy. Listen, let me go, and I’m gonna give you a lifetime supply of chili-cheese fries, _ and _ you can do with me whatever he won’t allow. Nothing is off-limits if you let me go.” 

“Uh...thanks for the offer, I guess? But that’s not negotiable. Sorry,” he replied, tightening his grip. 

They transported Lily to the police department where she was being negotiated by the commissioner. Darkwing Duck insisted that he and his sidekick were also present. Lily tried her best to look like a scared doe. 

“So, who did you bring me this time, Darkwing?” the commissioner asked with a tired look. 

Darkwing jumped up and pointed at her. “This is the person who busted Negaduck out of the truck and assisted in killing your men! She may have even done the job herself!”

The older frog looked at her from head to toe and scoffed. “Are you sure? I mean, she looks like someone who wouldn’t even turn in her library books late. What do you have to say miss um…what's your name?”

Lily’s voice went up two octaves and she started to stutter, pressing tears out of her eyes. “My name is Vanessa Heathland, sir.”

He noted her name down onto the paper in front of him. “And what do you do? Your profession, I mean.” 

Lily noticed his voice going soft, she had him right where she wanted him. “I’m a student of St. Canard University, but I took a semester off to move back to Duckburg after an unfortunate incident at a student party involving drugs. Ask my friend Vivian if you want proof.” 

“Aha! If you live in Duckburg, what are you doing in St. Canard?” Darkwing exclaimed. 

“I wanted to visit my friend. She moved away from the campus after said incident and I had lost my way to her new apartment. I knew St. Canard would be dangerous, but not _ this _ dangerous. I’m glad I’m here now, if I’m being honest.” The cool air in the room made it easy for her to fake a shiver. 

“What do you mean?” The concern in the commissioner's voice was so pathetic, Lily almost blew her cover by laughing. _ Men are so predictable. Give them a damsel in distress and they jump to their aid in no time_, she thought.

“Oh, you know, I was walking down the streets, already stressed out when suddenly, these two men attacked me, shackled me and searched through my possessions! I was so scared! I thought they would force themselves onto me! I don’t think I will ever forget the tight grip when they held me! You can still see the marks, look! I was scared to death until I saw him stopping in front of this building!” Lily cried out, putting on the performance of her lifetime. 

Darkwing banged his fists on the table. “Lies! Nothing but a bunch of lies! Commissioner, you don’t believe what this despicable damsel has to say, do you? Tell him, Launchpad!” 

The redhead jumped when he heard his name and mumbled something incomprehensible. 

“Enough!” the commissioner yelled. “I’ve heard more than enough! I know you’re still upset about the murders, we all are, but this has gone too far!” He stood up and was now towering over Darkwing. He turned his face to Lily and smiled. “You’re free to go, miss Heathland. I apologize for the behavior these men have shown. Thank you for your time.” He turned around again. “And you two… a word.” 

Lily stood in a corner behind the police building, smoking a cigarette out of the first pack she had bought in months. She was still shaking and she almost started laughing maniacally when she thought about the luck she had. The back door opened and she heard a now too familiar voice complain. 

“Can you believe this?! She smiles at him _ once _ with slightly wet eyelashes and he eats out of her palm like a tame dog!” Darkwing yelled. 

“Oh, come on now, I smiled at least three times,” Lily gave them a cocky grin. 

The two men froze when they saw her. 

“Why are you still here?” Launchpad asked her, still being as polite as before. 

Lily shrugged. “Next time take me to a place more fun where we can be alone. Maybe _ I’ll _ chain you guys up and show you a good time.” She winked and threw the cigarette stump into a puddle. 

Darkwing blushed under his purple mask. “That- that’s littering!” 

Lily walked away from them. “Oh no! Arrest me then, Dipwing. Maybe you’ll have more luck this time.” She turned around once again to give them another bright smile. “See you around, boys.” 

  
  



	16. Chapter 16

The text had caught her by surprise:

_ Where are you? I’m gonna pick you up.  _

About twenty minutes later, Lily sat in the truck Negaduck must have gotten somewhere else since it was not part of the repertoire in their house. He still wore his mask but was in a grey hoodie and black cap Lily thought he looked strangely normal.

“So where’s your bike? It would fit in here too,” he asked. 

“Oh, uh, don’t worry about it. It’s on the other side of town and I’m gonna pick it up later,” Lily tried to sound as casual as possible. She had been following Negaduck’s trips to the city the whole week and while she never got so close to see what he had been unloading from the trunk, at least she knew the locations.

“I gotta say,” Negaduck looked over to her, “you’re out so much lately, it’s almost as if you are trying to run away from me.” His laugh was humorless and the tone a bit too serious. 

“Excuse me?!” Lily exclaimed, “You’re gone to God knows where for weeks!” 

He grinned. “Yeah. I’m just saying, it seems to be a new trend since you’ve been practically always at home before.”

“It’s spring, Negaduck. I just enjoy spending some time in the sun.” Lily scoffed. 

Negaduck looked from her face to her lap where she clutched her hands around her backpack. 

“Alright, alright. No need to get all bitchy with me,” he laughed. 

Lily rolled her eyes and decided not to shoot back. 

“Anyway, we’re meeting the retards tomorrow night. It would be nice if your busy schedule would allow you to attend too, my lady,” he mocked her. 

“I’ll see if I can arrange it,” she winked and tried to smile honestly. 

Later that night, Lily was once again in the master bedroom. This time he had led her there and sat her on the bed.

“From now on, this door will be open. You can sleep here if you want.” He smiled down at her. 

Weeks prior, this would have meant the world to Lily, when she was still entranced with him and would have given everything for him to open up to her.  _ Fuck you and your stupid bullshit _ , she thought while giving him a bright smile. “Thank you. What changed your mind?” She asked, trying to sound humble. 

He kissed her neck and whispered. “You did. You haven proven yourself worthy of my trust.” Negaduck pecked her gently on the beak and looked her straight in the eyes. “When I picked you up all these months before, I thought I’d just gonna fuck you until I got bored and then throw you off this rock. Never would I have thought you would turn out to be such a perfect partner in  _ so many _ aspects.”

Lily couldn’t stop her heart from beating faster. This was what she had wanted originally, but not anymore.  _ Stop blushing! He’s a crazy psycho unable to muster the feelings you wish he had for you! _ her mind screamed at her and yet her eyes watered and she felt her body melting under his touch. 

“Negs, I… I don’t know what to say,” she answered honestly. 

He smiled almost softly. “Lily, we belong together and you know that. Now, enough with the touchy-feely talking and back to the matter at hand.” With that he pushed her into the cushions and kissed her fiercely. 

+++

They spent the next two days in this bedroom with hours of wild lovemaking, only leaving for the bathroom or kitchen to get food. When they both were exhausted and in need of rest, Negaduck pulled her into his arms or spooned her when he thought she was asleep. 

He gently shook her shoulder. “Babe, wake up. It’s ime for the meeting.” 

Lily opened her eyes slowly. The time they had spent together in this room was the most intense and intimate in their relationship, leaving Lily conflicted. _ He was so gentle to me _ , she sighed,  _ he didn’t even yell once _ . She thought of Negaduck’s slow breath when she woke up in his arms, the vulnerable look on his face when he mumbled in his restless sleep. She had comforted him, gently caressed him, until he calmed down again. 

When she got up and stretched, she hoped to shake the feelings off with it. “I need a minute to freshen up and get dressed,” she smiled. 

“No need to hurry. Take your time,” he replied softly while he slipped into his red turtleneck.

Standing back in her room and putting on her leather vest, she looked in the mirror once more. Her face looked exhausted and for the first time since her days on the street, her ribcage was prominently visible. Her soft and chubby thighs that she liked so much about herself were hardened by months of training, and thinner than ever before. If it wasn't for her long hair she had cut back in irregular intervals, she wouldn’t recognize herself. 

_ I did it _ , she thought to herself,  _ I got close to him. He let me into his world. But what did it cost me?  _ She frowned, thinking about her last meeting with Roland. She missed visiting their house and playing with Susie. She even missed Bill, the sneaky little rat who always teased her. 

That night in their usual hideout, Negaduck unfolded a map in front of Lily and the Fearsome Four. “Alright, listen up, idiots. While you were busy idly wasting your talent, I’ve been making plans to take over this city for good. I worked on something very special for months and thanks to the only other competent member of our group, it’s finally done. Guys... _ we’re gonna blow up the city _ !”

They all started talking at the same time, while Lily stood there frozen, her eyes fixed on Negaduck’s grin. 

“Alright, alright, calm down!” Negaduck shouted. “I’m gonna explain everything to you. I’ve planted bombs under every district and wired them so that we can only blow up certain parts of the town, some streets, maybe. Let me tell you guys, there are so many unused tunnels under St. Canard, as if the city is just begging to be stuffed. I thought for starters we’d set up a chain of minor explosions, you know like a warning shot, and while the people freak out, we make our demands.” 

“NO!” Lily screamed at him. She was shaking and on the verge of tears. She had helped him build those, so the blood of thousands of people would be on her hands.  _ Never again _ , she decided for herself. 

“Excuse me, what?!” Negaduck snapped back, he walked around the table with fast strides. He stood so close to her and managed to look down on her as if he was twice her size. 

She decided not to be intimidated. “I said no! I will not stand by while you kill innocent people again, you crazy psycho!”

His hand was so quick, she didn’t have time to react. He slapped her on the face so hard that she was about to fall on the floor. Water from the nearby kitchen caught her in her fall with a surprisingly soft yet sturdy membrane and a tendril that pierced straight through the concrete floor gently lifted her up to her feet again. Negaduck turned around when he saw sparks flying. 

“What the fuck is this, guys?! Oh! Oh, I get it now, that’s where you’ve been lurking around! Let them fuck you and now they are your lap dogs, right?!” He grabbed Lily by the hair and beak and pulled her in front of him. His fingers clutched into her bill painfully. “Tell me, did you take turns or was this some sort of gang-bang situation? Fuck, I’d love to see that!” 

The tendril pulled him away from Lily and she grasped for air. She held out a hand to tell the four men to stand back. “Calm down, all of you! Nothing like that happened, you sick asshole! They’re my friends!” 

Negaduck’s laugh was menacing. “Your  _ friends _ ?! Oh, how cute. Sweet Lily and her four mutant friends, isn’t that wonderful?” 

Lily took a few steps towards the four men. They were still speechless and their eyes widened but she saw the violence in their gaze. “Guys, thank you for helping me.” She gently touched the Liquidator and Bushroot’s arms.

“He should not have hit you, boss lady!” Quackerjack yelped, preparing one of his mechanical teeth. 

“You should have let him rot in prison like we told you!” Megavolt said, sparks flying over his head. 

“I know, you were right,” she turned around where Negaduck watched their exchange, ready to jump at them like a tiger. “I can see clearly now. Thank you for everything.”

“You better leave now, blondie. Playtime’s over,” Negaduck growled. 

With one last look over her shoulder, Lily ran out of the building and into the night. 

Short-circuiting a car was something Lily had picked up along the way, and she was happy for this skill now. Outside the hideout, she stole the first car she saw and drove back to the house at dangerous speed. 

She packed her backpack, took her laptop, phone and an enormous amount of money she found behind Negaduck’s third basement door. After one last unsuccessful attempt to gain access to Negaduck’s computer, she decided to leave before he came back. The car she had stolen was not really meant for high speed driving and when she entered the garage, only one vehicle seemed worthy of taking - Negaduck’s bike. She grinned when she took the keys off the wall. 

Since she had been following Negaduck’s tracks all this time, she had a good idea where she might find the central hub for his bomb system, and indeed he had built it at the place she showed him months ago: the huge underground tunnel system Harry Hoggert had built under his tower.

He had found a vault to hide his machinery behind. She approached the door with caution and hoped she would be able to crack the password. 

“Retina scan? Fuck!” she yelped. 

Pacing in front of the door, Lily remembered something Negaduck had said to her. He was under the influence of pot, but it was her last hope. Now where would she find a self-proclaimed super hero in the middle of the night? 

  
  



	17. Chapter 17

_ Maybe I should just break into some shops or cause some kind of trouble_, Lily thought while speeding down the roads in a hopeless attempt to find Darkwing Duck in this huge city. Maybe the striking yellow and red bike would catch his attention. Then she remembered Launchpad, his sidekick, telling her jokingly that she could always find him at the Hamburger Hippo. 

When she turned into the street where the fast-food restaurant stood, she couldn’t believe her luck. She slowed down when she saw Launchpad mounting a bike similar to hers, only with Darkwing’s signature purple colors. She took a hard turn in front of him and jumped off the bike, letting it crash into the nearest wall. 

“Launchpad!” she screamed, “I’m so glad I found you!” 

The tall mallard stared at the now burning wreck and turned back to Lily. He opened his mouth but did not say anything. 

She ran towards him and reached for his shoulders, though given their size difference, it was merely his lower arms. “You need to help me! I need Darkwing! It’s Negaduck! He’s crazy! He wants to blow up the city!” 

“Woah woah, slow down! What happened?!” Launchpad put the greasy paper bag into the passenger seat of the bike. 

“Negaduck he… he will kill innocent people! Lots of them! Please, I-” she started hyperventilating. 

Launchpad looked down at her and his features softened. “Hey, calm down. It’s gonna be alright. But how can I trust you?” 

“I will confess everything! _ Everything _ ! Put me in jail if you want or do whatever, but please! You guys _ have to _ help me!” Lily cried into his shirt. 

“Huh, I don’t know about this…” Launchpad scratched his head. 

Lily glimpsed into the bike and saw handcuffs on the seat. She grabbed them and started putting them on. “Here, I yield. Please, I will do anything! Just help me!” 

“Uh, alright. Sit down in the passenger seat. Do you mind if I put blindfolds on you? And uh, could you hold the bag, please?” Launchpad replied, mounting the bike. 

+++

“I cannot believe you brought _ her _ here! She’s Negaduck’s accomplice!” Darkwing screamed for the fourth time. 

Lily was cuffed to a chair in Darkwing Duck’s secret hideout, which she easily identified as Audubon Bay Bridge. 

“Boys, we don’t have time for this! Any minute now, my crazy ex could blow up the city!” she yelled at them. 

Darkwing took a deep breath and placed a chair opposite to her. “Alright, let’s- Gosalyn for the last time! Stay away!” he snapped at the young red-haired girl who came closer to get a good look at their visitor, confirming Lily’s prior theory. 

He cleared his throat and took a pen and paper. “Now, let’s start with your _ real _ name this time and if I catch you lying, being chained to a chair will be the least of your worries!” 

“Oh, is that a promise?” Lily grinned. She saw Darkwing blushing. Launchpad, who had placed himself next to them, leaning on some expensive tech while eating fries, giggled. 

“Okay, my name is Lily Bellefaire and-” 

“Like the orphanage?!” Gosalyn interrupted her, jumping forth from behind her father’s chair. 

“Gosalyn…” Darkwing frowned. 

“Sorry, dad,” she strolled back to her initial spot. 

“Yes, like the orphanage. I’m a… well, I did some stuff before I met Negaduck.” 

Darkwing looked up from his notes. “What _ stuff?” _

Lily sighed. “I was a drug dealer, and worked very briefly for F.O.W.L. before they tried to get rid of me.” 

Darkwing nodded, signaling her to continue. “And then I met the Fearsome Five and worked with Negaduck for some months.”

“Interesting,” Darkwing started, “I didn’t know Negaduck was much of a team player. How did that happen?” 

Lily looked from him to Gosalyn and back. “Let’s just say I have, uh… convincing arguments. If you know what I mean.”

The purple caped mallard blinked rapidly and she could see his beak redding again. _ He’s not at all how I imagined him _ , she laughed to herself, _ maybe I can use that to my advantage _. 

“Listen, buddy, can we skip the formalities now?” she said. “I really need your help and if you want to, you can interrogate me all night afterward...if you want.” she winked at him. 

He quickly looked away and noted something. “You, uh… you mentioned a bomb?”

She gave him a quick summary of Negaduck’s plan and Darkwing finally uncuffed her. 

“I don’t see how I could help with a retina scanner,” Darkwing started when they mounted the Ratcatcher. Lily sat in the passenger seat while the two mallards placed themselves on the bike. “I mean we look alike, but up close, I’m _ way _ better looking. But you’re in luck since I’m an expert in computer science. I will have this door open in no time.” 

Lily asked herself if what Negaduck told her about parallel universes was true, because she felt like she was sitting next to a purple version of her ex-lover. _ Oh, what have I gotten myself into? _ she asked herself as they drove down the road. 

Darkwing had been inspecting the console in front of the vault for 10 minutes now, without any success. Lily got restless and looked at Launchpad. 

“Just let D.W. do his thing. I’m sure he’ll figure it out,” he assured her. 

“Uh huh, sure,” Lily smiled. “Hey Darkwing, I think I found something!” She stood next to the scanner. 

“Oh, and what do you think you found?” He walked over to her and she grabbed his head, pulled up the hat and pressed his eyes on the scanner. After a few seconds, the light turned green and the vault opened.

“The entrance,” she smirked, handing him his hat. 

Inside the vault, a huge computer system with attached server lockers stood in the middle. The room was freezing cold to keep the servers from overheating. Darkwing walked straight to the central hub when Lily pulled him back by the shoulder. 

“Nope, buddy. That’s my domain,” she said and ignored his complaints. 

Negaduck had been careless, thinking the retina scan would be enough protection. She had been able to access the code without a password. Lily 1, Negaduck, 0. She typed quickly and took several photos of the screen with her phone. Darkwing looked over her shoulder with no minor interest while Launchpad inspected the lockers. 

“You’re really good at this,” the masked mallard said. “Well, not as good as _ me _ but-” 

“Yeah, sure,” Lily interrupted him. “I’m done.” They heard the sound of hundreds of servers turning off at the same time. 

When they went to open the vault again, a loud rasping voice was audible from the other side. 

“Oh no!” Lily yelped. 

“Quick, this one is empty!” Launchpad pointed at a locker near him. 

They squeezed themselves inside and watched closely. Lily could see bruises on Megavolt and Quackerjack, Bushroot was missing an arm, which slowly grew back, holding a water bottle in his remaining hand. 

“Now, boys, we’re _ finally _ alone again, right? No touchy-feely shit,” Negaduck proclaimed and the others murmured in agreement.

“I wanted to show you my- what the…?” Negaduck stormed to the console, typing viciously. 

“Oh, you little BITCH!” He screamed, smashing the keyboard. 

“What’s up?” Megavolt asked, a barely visible smirk on his face. 

“That fucking cunt deleted all my… AAAAARGH!! _ She _ wrote the code and put in a back door. All the bombs are _ disarmed _!” Negaduck took the destroyed keyboard and started hitting the monitor with it. 

“But aren’t they still functional?” Bushroot asked and regretted it immediately when Negaduck turned around.

“No, idiot! They ran on tiny boards and she destroyed all of them by overheating them!” he snapped. “Oh, that’s good,” Negaduck laughed maniacally. “That’s _ really _ good! Alright, boys, new plan. Fuck this city, it’s gotten personal. Bring me that sweet little lady _ alive _ ! Oh, don’t give me that look, when I’m done with that fucking bitch, everyone of us will have a _ piece of her _! NOW GO!”

  
  



	18. Chapter 18

“Move”, Darkwing whispered next to Lily, “I gotta get out there! It’s time for my entrance!” 

Lily held him back by the cape. “Are you crazy?! He’s in a frenzy! He will _ kill you_!” 

“Let go!”, he snapped and pulled back on the fabric. 

Launchpad touched her shoulder. “It’s not his first fight with Negaduck, don’t worry about him,” he comforted her while Darkwing recited his entrance lines somewhere above them.

“I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the switch that blows up evil right in its face! I am Darkwiiiiing DUCK!”

“What the fuck are _ you _ doing here?!” Negaduck yelled at the intruder. 

“I’ve been on your track for weeks, Negaduck! And tonight, _ I _ finally found your little firework,” Darkwing answered. 

“Bullshit! Oh! Wait a minute. Did _ she _ contact you? Ran into your arms for help? Ha! That is too good!”

“Who do you mean? Your little murder bride? Haven’t seen her but it doesn't surprise me that she wants to get away from you,” Darkwing laughed. 

Negaducks face got even darker. “Boys! Get him!” 

The Fearsome Four looked each other in the eyes. 

“We would,” Bushroot shrugged, “but I’m growing back my arm and Bud here is still in the bottle.”

The face inside the bottle nodded. 

“I don’t feel so good...I’m all dizzy,” Quackerjack said, pretending to fall over.

Megavolt let out tiny sparks that quickly died down. “I’m all out of juice! I need to recharge.” 

“You incompetent… fine! I’ll do it myself!” Negaduck growled and jumped at Darkwing. 

“Looks like nobody likes to be around you these days, Negsy!” Darkwing laughed and parried his attack. 

“SHUT UP!” Negaduck yelled and landed a hit on Darkwing’s shoulder. 

When the purple caped mallard stumbled backwards, Launchpad pushed himself past Lily to help him. 

“Ah, I see your braindead sidekick is here too! Why would you hide, big guy? Come out and play!” Negaduck laughed and went for another attack. Launchpad helped Darkwing up, who not only evaded the punch, but also landed a kick against Negaduck’s stomach. 

Lily gazed out of the locker door, unable to keep her body from shaking. Her eyes met Bushroot who nodded at her and started whispering to his comrades. 

They all looked in her direction and then to the door. She shook her head and crawled back into the locker until her back touched the cold metal. 

Bushroot opened the container he had been carrying and quickly talked to the Liquidator, who then nodded in agreement. “Hey, Negs! Thanks for trapping me inside a water bottle! How original.” 

The concrete burst open and water fountains shot up everywhere, hitting Darkwing and Negaduck alike. Lily saw the two mallards being washed away and made a run for the door. 

Electric shocks sparked through the air and she had to avoid the puddles to not get shocked herself. Lily ran to the elevator when a water bubble pushed her towards the elevator, the four mutants now by her side. 

“Guys…” she started, when tendrils pushed the elevator doors close. 

“Escape now! Talk later!” Megavolt yelled, sending sparks into the elevator controls to let them ascend at dangerously high speeds. 

“Boss lady! Why were you hiding?” Quackerjack asked, touching his beak.

“I, uh...it’s a long story,” Lily sighed. She already felt a panic attack rising and tried to breathe steadily. “Hey, Bud, would you please splash some cold water in my face?” 

“One refreshment, coming right up!” the Liquidator said, sending a soft wave of water her way. 

They spent the rest of the ride in silence and Lily allowed herself to close her eyes for a bit. When they entered the street, Megavolt was exhausted and leaned onto Quackerjack to catch his breath. It was almost dawn and yet it was still dark enough to hide in a backstreet.

“So,” Bushroot started, his arm now almost fully grown back, “did you think about it? Our offer, I mean?” 

Lily frowned. “Guys, I...I can’t…”

“What do you mean? You’re unhinged from Negaduck now. Let him and Darkwing kill each other for all I care!” Megavolt was still panting. 

“That’s not what I mean. I can’t do it. I can’t live like that anymore,” She felt her knees weakening and tears running down her beak. “I will confess everything and do my time in jail. This life...it’s too much for me.” 

“Jail?! No way!” the Liquidator protested. 

Lily shook her head. 

“It’s actually not that bad there,” Quackerjack grinned. 

“Shut up, you’re crazy!” Bushroot scolded him. “Lily, please, think about it. You don’t have to be like him. We could protect you, promise.” 

“No, you can’t. I’m sorry. You guys go now before anyone else comes after us. And promise me not to do anything stupid. Don’t revolt against Negaduck anymore, promise me.” She was crying almost uncontrollably now. “And can I just…” She opened her arms. 

They were perplexed for a second and then closed in on her. She couldn’t control her sobbing and her running nose anymore but didn’t care. 

Lily wiped her beak at her arm. “Now you guys go. Stay safe and I’ll see you around.” 

They all nodded and disappeared in four different directions. 

+++

_ So that little bitch thinks she can just betray me like that?! _ Negaduck thought while he took another swing at his purple counterpart. They were both still wet from the attack of his treacherous team mates, if you could even call them that. 

“Why don’t you just give up, Darkwing?! I have another _ murder _ to commit tonight!” he screamed and kicked Darkwing, who was already on the floor. 

“I’m _ so _ sorry I’m ruining your big date night,” Darkwing exclaimed and with one swift motion, he swept Negaduck onto the wet floor, crawling onto him and punching him in the beak. 

Negaduck tried to get up but was being held down by the shoulder, barely avoiding another hit. He grabbed Darkwing’s fist midair and with a heavy kick, he heaved the mallard off of him and jumped at him at the same time. 

_ Stupid water dog! This is bullshit! _ he scoffed when he slipped and fell to the floor. 

Darkwing managed to get up at the same moment as him._ He doesn’t give up, does he? Well, neither do I_, Negaduck grinned to himself when he jumped at his opponent again. 

He received another punch in his face for an answer and felt his body getting weary from the long night. “It’s time to end this now!” he exclaimed and pulled out his gun from the inside of his cloak. 

“A gun, Negaduck? Really? I wouldn’t have thought you would need that in a fist fight,” Darkwing mocked. 

That was enough. He had been humiliated by Lily twice this night, in front of the four idiots he called his team! And they had the nerve to attack him! HIM! And now he had to endure Darkwing’s smug face.

“Go to hell, Dipwing!” Negaduck threw the gun away and focused on one final punch. Darkwing stepped aside at the last moment. Unable to stop, he ran fist first into the wall and felt his bones cracking under the impact.

“Ouch! That must have hurt, Negsy!” Darkwing grinned. 

Pain shot through the back of his head, then Negaduck couldn’t hear what the purple caped mallard was blabbering about. _ Time for the last resort_, Negaduck thought to himself. He heard ringing in his ears and grabbed a tiny canister from inside his cape. He unscrewed it and threw the metal container to Darkwing. 

Darkwing and Launchpad started coughing immediately as green smoke emitted from the opening, making it impossible to see past their beaks. Negaduck used this opportunity to run to the elevator. _ I’m coming for you, babe_, he laughed to himself when he escaped from the first rays of sunlight. 

  
  



	19. Chapter 19

“I’m telling you, she’s gone! Took the opportunity while  _ I  _ defended her  _ and _ took the blame for- '' Darkwing stopped when he saw Lily leaning on the Ratcatcher. 

“Well, you guessed wrong,” Lily said, taking a deep puff from her cigarette. “I told you I’d turn myself in, and I will. Where’s Negaduck?” 

“Ran away like a coward!” Darkwing replied, shooing her from his bike. 

“Oh, no! Please, no!” Lily looked around. He could be around any corner, lurking and waiting for them. She could practically feel his gaze on her back. Any minute he would attack and then it’s over.

“Pfft, please! He turned tail and dipped like a scared cat! He probably broke his hand too, so we don’t have to worry about him for a while,” he answered, waving dismissively. 

Lily started shivering again. She threw the cigarette stump on the ground and looked at the two men. “So what’s gonna happen now? Are you going to take me to the police station?” 

“No.  _ Now _ you’re gonna tell me why you helped us,” he glared at her. 

“I...he...I couldn’t live like that anymore. With him. Committing atrocious crimes without blinking. When I learned about his plan, I ran as fast as I could. And now he...well, I guess I deserve what’s coming for me...” She did not think she would have any more tears left, and yet they kept coming. 

Darkwing and Launchpad exchanged looks. 

“Hey, there,” Launchpad patted her on the shoulder. “We can protect you.”

“Urgh, yeah, sure...can you just take me away from here please? Maybe behind bars they are going to protect me from him. Or maybe he’ll hire someone who will kill me with a prison knife and-” she fell to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. 

Darkwing looked down on her. At first, he braced himself for another attack, still not convinced that this wasn’t just an act. The small duck was now clutching her knees, ripping out feathers in the process. She was so tiny, almost a head shorter than him. Not that he would admit it, but great height was not one of his strengths. Her shirt, now stretching, revealed her spinal column. He could practically see every little disc. She looked sick, like someone who might not have had the easiest time recently. He had seen her acting out the damsel in distress, and now he saw a young woman, scared for her life, threatened by the man she had been intimate with in the past months. He sighed when he made his decision to give her the benefit of the doubt. 

“I was thinking,” Darkwing scratched his beak. “In wake of recent events, I think I could let you off the hook. But just this once! If you ever step out of line again, I won’t show any mercy. Is there any place where you could stay?”

Lily looked up to him and his look softened. She saw him inhale deeply. “There is, but I don’t know if they will have me. But it’s worth a try.” 

+++

Lily was too distracted to notice the amount of fire trucks passing them until they came closer to her old neighborhood. 

“There seems to be a fire breaking out. You sure you want to head there?” Darkwing asked her. 

Lily nodded. “I have nowhere else to go.” 

When they turned into the street of her old apartment, Lily started screaming. The whole building was on fire. She saw bodies, or at least parts scattered throughout the street. Bill’s dead eyes stared at her from the concrete, his lower half laying a few feet away from him. She couldn’t hear what the two men were discussing, her vision narrowed and she felt herself fainting. A huge hand that must belong to Launchpad supported her back and all she noticed was the wind on her face when the bike drove through the streets at high speed. 

Lily regained consciousness and found herself on an old sofa in Darkwing’s hideout. Gosalyn knelt in front of her, holding a wet towel to her forehead. 

“Are you alright? Dad said you passed out,” she pointed at the two mallards standing a few feet away, discussing something quietly. 

She couldn’t quite make out what they were saying but she heard Launchpad saying “we have to” while Darkwing replied something like “too dangerous”.

“Thank you...uh, Gosalyn, right?” Lily got up slowly. 

“Yup. So why do you have the same name as the orphanage? Is that a coincidence?” Gosalyn sat next to her and looked her eagerly in the eyes.

“No, I was raised there and since I don’t know who my parents are, I was named after this place. But how do you know about it?” She looked down at the girl, smiling when she saw the cute pigtails. 

“Oh, I was there too when my grandpa died, not for long though. Dad adopted me!” Gosalyn grinned at her. 

“He did? That’s wonderful!” Lily looked over to the two men who seemed to have come to an agreement. They walked over to them and Launchpad gave Lily a water bottle. 

“Do you feel better?” he asked gently. 

Lily nodded and emptied the bottle in two gulps. 

“So, uh, Lily. We have found a place to hide you. A good friend of mine will give you shelter for a while.” 

Gosalyn giggled next to her. 

Darkwing gave his daughter a look and continued. “Launchpad will take you there. Please be on your best behavior and please don’t slice their throats.”

Lily shivered. “I didn’t-” 

“That’s the deal, alright?” Darkwing asked her, his face turning serious. 

Lily sighed and nodded. 

“Alright, let’s go!” Launchpad smiled, offering his hand to help her up.

They drove for half an hour into the suburbs of St. Canard. Under normal circumstances, Lily would take her time to laugh at all these boring honest people living in their stupid little houses with their stupid little front lawns. But now, she was still traumatized by what she’d seen and being reminded of the young police officer didn’t help. 

She didn’t even notice at first that they halted in a parking lot until Launchpad said he’d quickly open the garage. When they entered the house through the garage door, a man in a pink shirt and green sweater waited for them with Gosalyn standing next to him. 

“Darkwing told me you’d come,” he extended his hand, “my name is Drake Mallard.” 

Instead of shaking his hand, Lily started laughing. “Nice outfit, Darkwing, very 90s fashion.” 

“I told you she wouldn’t fall for it, dad!” Gosalyn laughed. 

“I, uh- I’m not Darkwing, there must be some mistake!” Drake stuttered. 

Lily raised her eyebrows. “And why does Gosalyn call you dad then?”

“Uhm…” Drake frowned. 

“It’s alright, I knew who you were before. We met at the mall, remember?” Lily winked at him.

Drake sighed. “Vaguely. I remember being kicked in the guts and slapped in the face. Wait, you knew? Did you-?” 

She interrupted him. “No! I did not. I would never have risked that.” 

“Oh, why is that? Did you suddenly gain a conscience?” the mallard snapped at her. 

Lily looked back and forth between Gosalyn, Drake and Launchpad who had watched this exchange quietly so far. “I saw him end three people’s lives once. I will not let this happen ever again.” 

“Well, anyway. Welcome to the house, I will show you to your room.” He nodded at her to follow him up the stairs. 

  
  



	20. Chapter 20

Even with the curtains down, the room was too bright for Lily to sleep. Not that she would be able to even close her eyes now. The past months rushed through her mind. She thought of every step she had taken that set her on this insane path. Roland always told her she was too adventurous for her own good, and he was right. Her time with F.O.W.L. was brief and felt like a distant dream now, while everything that followed was clear as day in her head. 

Negaduck’s face appeared in front of her. His condescending looks, his raging outbursts, and the way he casually used violence to keep her in check. Until then, she thought she wouldn’t mind, but in retrospect, he did hit her more than she would have enjoyed. Where did the training end and the abuse start? 

Lily turned around in her bed and thought of their first kiss, and the first time she felt him inside her. The excitement she experienced every time he touched her. Her thoughts lingered on the few times he gave her an honest smile. She sighed and tried to shake off these treacherous feelings. They needed to die and be buried deep underground, never to emerge again. 

_ What am I going to do now? _ The question rushed through her mind over and over again. Darkwing Duck, the mallard she would have called her enemy just days ago not only let her into his house; he also revealed his secret identity. What could this mean? Should she just run from this place while everyone was fast asleep and try to survive on her own? 

Fire, so realistic she started sweating, broke out in her mind. No. If there was anyone who could take on Negaduck, it was Darkwing. Staying close would only increase her chance of survival. He must have an ulterior motive to keep Lily close and she was sure to find out soon enough. 

Lily grabbed a cushion and hugged it tightly, wishing she could turn back time and prevent all this from happening. 

+++

This was _ his _ St. Canard. He really should’ve stayed longer, but it just wasn’t much of a challenge if everything was given to you freely. Negaduck gazed out of the window of the penthouse in St. Canard Tower, his residence in the Negaverse. Acid rain covered the glass, and yet, watching the water droplets run down filled him with a sense of satisfaction. 

_ At least I still have enough supplies to stay a few weeks_, he thought, looking down at his bandaged right hand, where his two broken fingers throbbed painfully. _ Let her live a few more days and once she thinks she’s safe, I will come for her. _The thought of cutting Lily’s throat like he did with the police officer excited him. 

“So, what’s next?” NegaLaunchpad stood behind him, expectantly. 

Negaduck pulled him down by the vest and kissed him fiercely. “I’m planning a big gig in my other place, but for this, I need you to do something for me.” 

“Anything,” the tall redhead answered, moaning when Negaduck’s left hand wandered down his chest. 

“I need to find someone who’s gonna help me prepare,” he grinned and his hands wandered into NegaLaunchpad’s pants. “Find me a physicist. Someone who’s good with particle physics.” 

“Can do, boss,” Launchpad answered, now panting. “Right after we’re done here.” 

+++ 

The next day, Negaduck sat at his big desk facing the elevator, the only entrance to the penthouse. He drank a cup of coffee and scrolled aimlessly through the news. With a glance over his shoulder, he saw the red-haired girl he and Launchpad had picked up months prior. She was sorting marbles by colors, mumbling to herself. 

“Having fun, kid?” he grinned, she didn’t look up. _ Man, that girl is so far gone, _he frowned and continued browsing on his laptop. 

The elevator door blinked, signaling that someone was riding up. He could hear the pride in Launchpad’s voice. “Alright, boss, I found your scientist. She’s-”

Negaduck looked up and his cup fell on the floor, spilling hot coffee over the expensive carpet. Her hair was not curly but straight and yet it still had the same straw blonde hue. She wore a pink dress and around her shoulder, a huge back dragged her down to one side. Her big green eyes were filled with fear. 

“Lily…” 

  
  



End file.
